A reduction in staff at the East St. Louis Fire Department and temporary closing of one of the city’s three firehouses has been postponed until at least Nov. 30, City Manager Brooke Smith has confirmed.
The layoffs and building closure initially were scheduled for Oct. 31 as a cost-saving measure as the Illinois comptroller continues to intercept city revenues to pay back a $3.9 million debt to the East St. Louis fire and police pension funds.
The city also is facing a $5.5 million budget deficit.
Nine city firefighters received layoff notices on Oct. 15, and Engine House No. 425 at 1700 Central Ave. was set to be temporarily shuttered in order to keep the city operational, Smith said.
Since the “intercept procedure” began last month, the state has taken more than $1.6 million in city revenues and redirected them to the pension funds. The comptroller’s office will continue the intercept until the pensions are fully funded and the city shows it can continue making contributions on its own.
Smith said the city has filed an objection with the comptroller’s office.
“The comptroller’s office has given the pension boards 90 days to respond,” Smith said.
Smith said the layoffs would have saved the city $62,000 in payroll, not including the cost of benefits.
In the meantime, the Associated Firefighters of Illinois has offered to assist in negotiations between East St. Louis fire officials and the city. The AFFI also negotiated on behalf of the Harvey, Illinois Fire Department when first responders there faced similar layoffs.
Members of Firefighters Local 23 and AFFI met with the East St. Louis City Council during a special meeting on Oct. 28.
“AFFI has offered to aid in negotiations with the fire and police pension boards as well as the fire and police unions, with the hope of reaching an evolution to the intercept issue,” Smith said. “They requested the city hold off layoffs until the end of November to allow them time to assist in the negotiations.”
She said the firefighters who received layoff notices were informed of the postponement right away.
“There is only one pie and everybody wants a piece of the pie at 100 percent,” Smith said. “The Illinois State Comptroller’s office is intercepting the city’s state revenues at 100 percent.”
Smith said cost reductions at the fire department were not the first cuts made by the city. Mayor Robert Eastern III lost his expense account and, when she was hired earlier this year, Smith accepted a salary of $90,000 instead of the $110,000 she was offered, she said.
Among other vacated city hall positions Smith says won’t be filled is that of Community Development Director June Hamilton-Dean, who had an annual salary of $73,000 before recently being convicted of forgery and public contractor misconduct.
Four firefighters have retired from the department. The city also has canceled the budgeted hiring of five new police officers.
“With layoffs looming I cannot do any hiring,” Smith said. “The public works director job is still vacant. The regulatory affairs director, Ronald Davis, resigned a couple of weeks ago. That job is still vacant.”
East St. Louis has 155 employees currently on the city’s payroll, Smith said.
Smith said she understands that layoffs affect people’s lives, but that they can’t be avoided. She, Eastern and the council have had to to take the necessary steps to keep the city from closing its doors, she said.
In the meantime, Smith said she’s had to pick up other responsibilities.
“I have had sleepless nights. Everybody is never going to be happy,” she said. “It’s temporary, but the intercept is not going away. Our replacement taxes were intercepted. This includes money that goes to the library.
“I am trying to figure out how we pay them and the Board of Elections.”
Smith said others are doing their part, as well. In May, Eastern asked for and received help for Police Chief Kendall Perry with the addition of an assistant chief. Both take patrol duty, along with the city’s other 36 police officers.
“The police department is not top heavy with white-shirt positions, and the office manager that was working in the police department resigned,” Smith said. “Everybody is patrolling regardless of rank.”
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