Firefighters in Janesville said that hiring more firefighters to keep overtime down will better serve tax payers, but city officials disagree.
The firefighter's union said that hiring four firefighters last year would have saved the city $100,000.
The union also said that too much of the overtime costs go to injuries and sick leave.
"Over the last five years, when you compare the actual overtime use to the budgeted amount of overtime, it's $450,000 in excess of what's been budgeted," said Scott Morovits of Firefighters Union Local 580.
Firefighters also said the extra manpower would help facilitate stations with more ambulances.
But Janesville city manager Steve Sheiffer disagrees with the union, saying that retirement policies for extra firefighters will cost more than the overtime.
