A large group of Trenton firefighters who have kept their jobs through a federal grant will be let go Nov. 1 to help close the city's budget shortfall.
New Jersey's Civil Service Commission has approved the layoffs of 64 firefighters since the city cannot afford the $5.3 million required to retain them in the coming fiscal year after a federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant expires at the end of October, according to NJ.com.
Trenton has been awarded SAFER grants three times since 2010 -- each time to prevent firefighter layoffs -- and has a current application with the federal government, but the fire committee that applied for it said last week that the city would not get the grant this cycle.
State law requires that the affected firefighters needed to be officially notified no later than Saturday to comply with a 45-day rule, but spokesman Michael Walker said the city would start official notifications Monday due to the late hour it was notified Friday evening that the plan had been approved.
The city has also said that closing down fire companies is "on the table" with an overall budget deficit of $10.5 million.
