Fort Worth Reinstates 12 Firefighters; Six Code Officers

Aug. 22--FORT WORTH -- The city boosted its property tax collection and sales tax revenue projections for the 2014 budget Thursday, allowing Fort Worth officials to restore 12 firefighter and six code officer positions that had been targeted for cuts.

City Council members had questioned whether the cuts were necessary.

The staff, with agreement from the council during an afternoon workshop, also reinstated proposed spending cuts for firefighter overtime, street maintenance, alleyway mowing, and athletic field maintenance.

Council members, who said they'd been hearing from citizens about proposed public safety staffing cuts, still struggled with not restoring the full 36 firefighters from the department's vacation reserve pool that City Manager Tom Higgins originally proposed.

"Can I tell my citizens they're safe?" Councilman Jungus Jordan, who represents the southern District 6, asked Fire Chief Rudy Jackson during the workshop.

"They're safe," Jackson responded.

Mayor Betsy Price said she believes remaining cuts in the resulting city budget will have "very, very minimal impact to our citizens."

"We will continue to monitor the budget, monitor the needs, as we go along (through the fiscal year), particularly public safety," she said.

The staff increased next year's projected property tax collection rate by a half point to 98.5 percent and boosted sales tax projections by one point to 4 percent growth. That raised the proposed general fund budget by $3 million to $573 million.

Jay Chapa, the city's acting financial management services director, told the council the staff believes the revenue projections remain "conservative" and the budget additions still keep the city on track for a stable budget outlook without big shortfalls beginning nexst year.

The staff restored $1.9 million of a proposed $3.8 million fire cut.

Jackson said he'll use restored money on overtime until he can fill the 12 positions, which had gone vacant as the city looked for ways to fill a shortfall in the general fund budget.

Last week, facing the prospect of 36 lost positions, Jackson said he would have to deactivate four fire companies on average per day, and would limit the deactivations to the city's 12 stations that have double companies. A company is made up of one vehicle and its crew, and Fort Worth has 42 stations in all. Jackson said the deactivations would increase average response times by one minute and 48 seconds at the stations were deactivations occur.

Citywide average response times today are about five minutes, and run one minute higher in the far North outside Loop 820, Jackson said.

Thursday, with the restorations, Jackson said he would have to deactivate two companies on average per day and would limit those to the eight stations within the loop that have double companies, a move to allay fears of lengthy response times in Fort Worth's sprawling suburbs, particularly in the North.

Average response times will increase by one minute at the stations where deactivations occur, Jackson said.

Public backlash

Council members worried about public perceptions created by the cuts, and an assertion by the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters association last week that budget cuts could put the city's fire insurance rating at risk and expose homeowners to higher premiums.

"I'm still personally uncomfortable that we haven't funded" the full proposed fire cut, Jordan said.

"Are you comfortable with that personally?" Council member Gyna Bivens, who represents the Southeast/East District 5, asked Jackson about the new staff proposal.

"I can say that I'm going to do the best I can to manage the resources that have been given to me," Jackson responded.

Among other budget restorations, code compliance will shoulder the loss of four budgeted positions instead of the 10 originally proposed.

Brandon Bennett, the code compliance director, said in an interview he'll use the positions for a "strike team" that will augment the department's code and animal control presence where needed.

Other budget restorations announced Thursday, after council members questioned them last week:

--Street maintenance cuts that would have meant the loss of 34 lane miles of maintenance in 2014.

--Alleyway mowing cuts to $189,680 from $379,300, or to 520 segments from 823. In the current year's budget, the city cut alley mowing by 50 percent.

--Athletic field maintenance cuts of $118,447.

Council members have scheduled two more public hearings on the budget, at 7 p.m. Sept. 19 and 10 a.m. Sept. 17, and are scheduled to vote on the budget Sept. 17 after the hearing.

Scott Nishimura, (817) 390-7808

Twitter: @JScottNishimura