New Bedford City Council to Weigh Fire Department Budget Amid Station 9 Closure

Ah, spring. Flowers, bunnies, warm breezes, and New Bedford City Council budget hearings.

All eyes will be watching the hearing concerning the New Bedford Fire Department's budget next week.

The usually contentious budget hearings take on an added importance this year in the wake of Mayor Jon Mitchell's recent disclosure that the city faces a $32 million budget shortfall.

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Inside the $32 Million New Bedford Budget Deficit

Mitchell blames, in part, sharply rising costs for salaries, health care, and pensions, as well as a reduction in unrestricted local aid from the state, for the city's unprecedented fiscal crisis. As a result of the spending gap, Mitchell has proposed deep cuts that could include the closing of Fire Station 9 on Tarkiln Hill Road in the North End.

"Two departments with the most employees supported by the general fund by far are the police and fire departments," Mitchell told councilors during his annual budget address.

Mitchell's budget would "tap the brakes on (police) recruitment," and "end the signing bonus for new officers," and "eliminate some twenty-four positions scheduled to be filled this year."

Police and Fire Departments Face Deep Cuts

The fire department takes a body blow under the budget proposal.

"We can no longer afford a fire department that both runs nine companies and staffs them with four firefighters," Mitchell said. "In the absence of an agreement with the firefighters' union to reduce staffing per apparatus, we will be forced to shut down a fire company."

Should that happen, the department could see its ranks reduced by as many as 20 positions.

Property Tax Hikes and Next Steps for City Council

Mitchell's budget proposal includes sweeping cuts to other departments and a significant increase in property taxes for homeowners and businesses.

The budget hearings, in which councilors can propose cuts to the mayor's budget, opened on Thursday with a look at the New Bedford School Department budget, which accounts for roughly 66 percent of all city spending. The school department is the one budget the council cannot cut. The council can only vote to approve or reject the school budget in its entirety.

One councilor described it as a "courtesy hearing."

The rubber hits the road next week when the council reviews all other city department budgets, including the mayor's budget, and the budgets of the police and fire departments.

The council takes up the mayor's budget on Tuesday, May 26, at 6 p.m. The police, fire, and DPI budgets face council scrutiny on Monday, June 8, at 6 p.m. The City of New Bedford website has the full schedule of city council budget hearings.

Some Help May Be on the Way

Senator Mark Montigny and members of the legislative delegation have been scrambling to secure additional state funding through the budget process to keep Station 9 from closing.