By WMAY Newsroom
(Kyle Hutchinson / Mid-West Family Broadcasting)
The Springfield City Council has voted to trim $1.4 million from the proposed fire department budget.
Alderman Chuck Redpath proposed the across-the-board reduction, noting that fire department costs have outpaced both the police and public works departments in recent years. Budget director Bill McCarty says without adjusting those trends, the city won’t be able to keep pace with those expenses in future years without draining its fund balance or having to resort to tax hikes.
The firefighters union says such cuts are a blow to the department’s morale. Redpath says it’s up to Fire Chief Brandon Blough and the mayor’s office to determine how to implement the cuts.