A promise of reduced overtime expenses was enough to convince aldermen they should hire a new firefighter.
Fire Chief Lindsay Laycoax said the department’s budget is now nearly $7,000 overdrawn because he has been forced to pay overtime to fill staffing needs. With the Christmas holidays approaching, staff shortages will be compounded because of scheduled vacations, he said.
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“A new (firefighter) makes a lot less (pay) than some of these guys on overtime,” he said, while reminding aldermen this week that they would be forced to fill the vacancy within the next month to meet union contract mandates.
The department’s vacancy resulted from Laycoax’s promotion to chief. The department now will have its full complement of 15 firefighters, three engineers and three lieutenants.