Municipal budget cuts: “Get a fire extinguisher”
In an earlier post we asked what happens if all 50 states go bankrupt. A glimpse into what the future might hold comes from a report on the events at a county meeting in Georgia. The commissioners discussed the subject of a recent cap on overtime hours that can be worked by fire and EMS workers. This county is far from bankrupt, it is just trying to cut expenses to balance the budget. One EMS worker announced his resignation, adding that he expected many others to leave as well.
“I predict a mass exodus out of this department,” said Ricky Cope, “Folks, I advise you to get a fire extinguisher and learn first aid.”
Will garden hose firefighting become a new homeowner skill?
In the Georgia capital city of Atlanta, so many firefighters called in sick on Super Bowl Sunday that they had to shut down 5 fire stations. Fire union President Jim Daws said a hiring freeze and city-imposed work furloughs as the city tries to cut costs have left firefighters “beaten down and run-down.”
It is becoming apparent that people will have to get used to having less municipal services.
[...] this is happening, a more dangerous layoff story is going unnoticed. Hundreds of local government municipal employees are losing their jobs as cities and counties are desperately trying to balance their budgets. These stories are not as [...]
[...] February, I wrote several posts about the deterioration of municipal budgets, and what it would mean for public services. This trend is continuing. Columbus, Ohio police chief [...]