Yesterday's DMN article, cited in this previous post, mentioned that scores of people came to speak or listen at both of the public hearings held so far on the proposed budget. Many also monitored the work sessions during departmental presentations and Council discussions.
 
Those that attended last Thursday's public hearing and stayed for the conclusion of the work session witnessed the Council wrestling with a number of recommendations from City Manager Bill Dollar. The most debated were:

• cut one fire engine from two stations but add ambulances to all stations,
• close the Ridgewood Library branch,
• cost of living allowance, and
• holiday and overtime pay.

Source: garlandfirefighters.org

The first item related to administration's and Fire Chief Danny Grammer's recommendation to no longer man a second engine at the Downtown station and at Station 5 in southeast Garland, but to add ambulances at all eleven fire stations. Part of the decision was based on the fact that the second engines are very seldom required and that 78% of Fire Department calls are for EMS services. Looking at trend lines locally and nationally the number of fire calls is slowly dropping. Part of the reasons are better construction and better fire detection and prevention. The number of EMS calls is rising. There are definitely times that the city has all ambulances on the street answering calls.
 
Consensus was given to follow the Chief's recommendation.
 
There are far more life-threatening situations being addressed during our EMS calls. To increase the number of ambulances will shorten the average time needed to respond to calls, potentially saving even more lives.
 
Second, agreeing to close Ridgewood Library was another hard decision. It is a unique place, as much a community center as library, and that's a good thing. Unfortunately, keeping it open meant costly repairs and modernizing, almost $1 million over ten years, in principal and interest. It was understaffed as is the South Garland Branch. Closing this facility and moving the personnel to the South Garland Branch meant a better library for everyone: more help to patrons and at least four times a many materials available.
 
The closing has been part of a ten-year plan advocated by the library system that was adapted by the City Council in 2006. The plan didn't call for closing it this soon, other changes were envisioned first. However, the prospect of throwing a lot of money at a facility that was destined to be closed didn't make much sense, and having two branches only a couple miles apart and both understaffed didn't make much sense either. There just wasn't enough money to have both.
 
Third, the cost of living allowance was addressed in my previous post.
 
Fourth, at some time in the far past Garland adapted policies for overtime and holiday pay that didn't reflect most other cities and certainly not the private sector. Overtime pay was granted even if the minimum weekly hours had not first been reached. For holidays, an employees could receive payment for time worked on a holiday as well as receive payment for the holiday hours.
 
Under the new rules, an employee could be penalized for working holiday hours. The Council chose to fund holiday time as to not penalize employees.
 
Additionally, at Thursday's extended work session, the Council chose to fund another animal control officer and to budget money for weekend Code Compliance. A library customer service position was also funded.
 
None of these changes are final. That can only come after another public hearing and with final adaption of the budget. Adaption is set for Tuesday night. While I suspect that the budget will be approved as noted here, anything can happen between now and then.