AuburnPub.com - City's wants may not be needs

City's wants may not be needs

By Carole Estabrook

Monday, October 15, 2007 10:05 AM EDT

The city of Auburn has agreed to hold off on the purchase of a second fire truck. The city manager had intended to apply unused overtime funds to buy new equipment for the fire department.

However, overtime costs have recently increased roughly $2,000 per pay period; attributed to two vacancies within the department. With the anticipated funds no longer available, the city manager will now have to investigate state grants to fund the purchase.

But is this really a blow to the city? I don't ask to be cheeky, but in an economically depressed region, it's about time Auburn reassessed its needs and wants.

Most businesses operate in the red. There is no shame in it; it's a nationwide reality. In fact, debt is probably the most profitable and successful business enterprise of the last century. Businesses, organizations and even government offices have to find creative ways to stay afloat.

AMH recently claimed bankruptcy. The fire department took a gamble on payroll funds.

Why? Because a city needs a hospital, and a city needs a fire department. But, as both operations are obviously running over budget, the next step is to assess unnecessary luxuries.

It's time to strip down to the bare essentials. The problem is that American society is so spoiled, I'm not sure that everyone understands what “bare essentials” means. For anyone who has never enjoyed Mel Brooks' classic “Star Wars” spoof, “Space Balls,” there is a great scene in which the princess character is insistent on trudging through a desert with her matched luggage. When confronted, she is quick to quip, “It's my industrial strength hair dryer and I can't live without it!”

State-of-the-art equipment is certainly advantageous, but if the old equipment functions adequately then the new equipment is a want. If overtime is inflated, then staffing is a need. It makes no sense to buy a new engine before you hire someone to operate it.

It seems a little prioritization is in order. It also seems like the budget needs to be reevaluated.

If there are two vacant positions, there must be two vacant salaries floating around somewhere. Where has that money gone? If those salaries have already been absorbed, then the department probably shouldn't be looking to secure more debt.

Bottom line, let's stop spending money we don't have on things we don't need.

Estabrook's column appears

Mondays and she can be reached at estabrookcarole@yahoo.com

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The Citizens' Say

There are 5 comment(s)

525 wrote on Oct 21, 2007 8:00 AM:

" To the citizens of Auburn who think that our firefighters "sit around and watch TV all day" Try walking in their shoes both mentally and physically. Never knowing when the next BIG fire will occur. Never knowing if this will be the last day they will see their loved ones. Did you say that about the 343 firefighters that we all lost on 9/11/01? They, most likely, were "sitting around, watching TV", laughing, joking, cooking,doing whatever they could to get their minds off the possibility of the next BIG ONE. Look where they are now. So, until you have walked in their shoes. DON'T JUDGE THEM. "

anonymous wrote on Oct 21, 2007 1:40 AM:

" Lets ditch all Firefighters in favor of aa completely volunteer firefighting force. The money we save in salaries would allow us to always have the very best technology for out CITIZEN firefighters. "

Mihai wrote on Oct 20, 2007 12:53 PM:

" " We do not need fifteen firefighters on duty, we need about ten on duty and another ten on call for the big fires. It sure seems like we pay them to sit around and watch TV alot. " WoW! You really have NO clue what firemen actually do, do you?? Study and training, and alot of it! Cut the number of firemen and allow the use of substandard equipment??? No way!! When I NEED to call 911 for help for a loved one, I want the best care available, and as quickly as possible!! Funny that you won't understand that feeling until you are the one dialing 911... and how can you have vol. and paid in the same city??? Which job would you take?? Bottom line, you need to cut corners??? There are other ways. Also, you cannot compare the Hospital to the Fire Dept. Thats just an incompetent comparison. In closing, a new firetruck is an investment, also something that is not just added to a wish list, if there is a request for a fire truck, then there is a need for one. Period. And you cannot re-allocate salaries of vacant firefighter positions to purchase anything...that simply isn't legal. "Bottom line, let's stop spending money we don't have on things we don't need." ...like a fire dept? "

hillbilly wrote on Oct 16, 2007 10:23 AM:

" Has the city ever thought of a paid and volunteer fire department? Meaning X-number of paid positions who man the houses, take care of the equipment, receive updated training and the other duties they have. Then add to this a volunteer force who receive training from the paid firemen. The volunteers would be there to assist the paid force when needed. This might be a feasible solution to hiring more paid members than are needed. This is not to eliminate the paid force only to enhance it. The city then as an incentive to the volunteers could give them a tax break of X-amount of dollars from their city tax bills. But, only if they meet the required training sessions and meetings set by the paid fire department staff for the year. Does anyone have any other ideas on saving $ for the city? "

anonymous wrote on Oct 15, 2007 11:04 PM:

" We do not need fifteen firefighters on duty, we need about ten on duty and another ten on call for the big fires. It sure seems like we pay them to sit around and watch TV alot. "

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