City Council Votes to Approve Firefighter Contract, Leading Councilman Calls Economically Flawed
Friday, January 06, 2017
On Thurssday night, Providence City Council voted to approve a contract between the City of Providence and IAFF Local 799.
City Councilman David Igliozzi has flagged repeatedly that the contract's cost greatly exceeded the projected savings claimed by Mayor Jorge Elorza' administration.
SEE FISCAL NOTE BELOW
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As GoLocal reported:
Igliozzi is accusing Mayor Elorza and the City of Providence of “backing into” the proposed five year contract with the city’s firefighters, after he said that he has still not received a fiscal note from the city to show how savings would be achieved, more than a month after the city’s announcement.
Igliozzi released a statement Thursday as to why the Finance Committee has not yet taken up the contract — and spoke with GoLocal about his additional concerns.
“The administration has submitted a four-page document to the City Council that alleges savings in its precedent-setting request for a five-year contract with the Firefighters’ union, but has yet to submit a fiscal note or any substantive financial documents to support its claim that this deal will benefit Providence taxpayers,” said Igliozzi. “It would be financially irresponsible for the committee to begin vetting this proposal before the administration provides the Council and the public with full disclosure of the proposal’s financial impact.”
On September 12, Elorza claimed the city would see $15 million in savings over the next five years as the result the newly negotiated contract with Providence firefighters.
“What is troubling is that the administration touted a contract with all of these savings with no financial backup or fiscal note -- so what is concerning is that they seem to be doing the financial work now, after they negotiated terms, which leads one to believe they're back into these “savings,” said Igliozzi. “Which makes the whole submission of the contract suspect.”
"I'm pleased that the council voted to approve this contract that sets Providence on a long-term sustainable path," said Mayor Jorge Elorza. "This contract not only creates ongoing structural savings, it also supports a more sustainable department for our firefighters and our residents. I am grateful to the City Council, Public Safety Commissioner Steven Paré, Chief Justice Frank Williams, City Solicitor Jeffrey Dana and Union President Paul Doughty for all of their hard work which resulted in this cost saving and responsible contract for the City."
Internal Auditor Matt Clarkin, who had been with the city in 2010 when he unveiled Providence’s near financial collapse, addressed his findings in a memo addressed to City Council Finance Chair John Igliozzi.
Clarkin stated that based upon “the proposed personnel changes associated with the reduction of the minimum manning requirement to 88 from 94 per shift, the decommissioning of three pieces of apparatus, and the addition of 12 battalion chiefs, it is projected that these changes will result in a net savings of approximately $9.1 million . . . the Administration projected in its fiscal note that the change to minimum manning clause would result in savings of approximately $16 million during the [five year] period of the [tentative agreement].”
It was Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza who had touted the purported contract savings in September, but the city released a statement in response to Clarkin from Commissioner of Public Safety Steven Pare — which disagreed with Clarkin’s findings.
The new contract will restore the Providence Fire Fighters to a 4 platoon schedule with a reduced minimum manning of 88 fire fighters/shift (previously 94/shift). But, is an unprecedented five-years in length thus locking the city into a long-term contract. The standard length is three-years.
"It has been a challenging process, but this contract is an important first step toward stabilizing the fire department so it is better equipped to meet the growing demands of public safety,” said Council President Luis Aponte.
Related Slideshow: Providence Fire Fiscal Note - Nov, 2016
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