Saint John's draft budget balanced but squeezes fire and police

Councillors in Saint John have the weekend to study a balanced municipal budget that will cap salary increases and although it gives fire and police more money, it’s not the amount they asked for.

The document holds the line on property taxes, just what city manager Pat Woods was instructed to do.

The budget comes in at $151 million and means some vacancies and proposed new positions would not be filled, plus salary increases would be capped.

“Growth and community services is down two per cent, transportation and environment one and a quarter per cent,” Woods said.

Councillors were given a graph showing the consumer price index had increased 20 per cent since 2004 while police and fire wages had increased more than 50 per cent.

Under the proposed budget, fire and police would get more but not what the departments say they need as a bare minimum according to fire Chief Kevin Clifford.

“If this happens it's a lesser service than what we have,” he said.

Clifford says the proposed 1.4 per cent increase eliminates his overtime budget, meaning there will be days when a fire truck somewhere will not be available for calls.

"If there's one or two or three people out, that's going to have an impact on how trucks are staffed,” he said. "I don't know how you can do that, quite frankly."

Stern message from mayor

Mayor Mel Norton delivered a stern message to firefighters' union representatives attending the meeting.

"Gentlemen sitting in this council chamber tonight: You will price yourself or your colleagues out of business if you look for three and four per cent wage increases this year. Guaranteed. You will price your friends, your co-workers, your brothers out of business,” he said.

Police commission chair Jonathan Franklin is also concerned, saying the department has no flexibility with wages, which account for 83 per cent of policing costs.

The draft document offers some help for the struggling city bus service, increasing its subsidy by $205,000.

Transit commission chair Donna Reardon told fellow councillors the commission is also planning an increase to all bus fares and passes in hopes of keeping the service intact.    

Still to be determined is what will happen to a proposed $165,000 increase to the paving budget. Some councillors want it put into the struggling transit service. 

That issue should be decided Monday.