It was a full city council chambers Tuesday night with the public taking both sides of the storm water management fee and most people, including several firefighters in the audience, showing support against 16 firefighter layoffs.
Following more than an hour of audience comments about the issues, the Danville City Council voted 11-2 against establishing a storm water management fee and 8-6, with Eisenhauer providing the eighth majority vote, in favor of an increase from $4 to $8 in the base monthly public safety pension fee. The pension fee increases $1 more for every 5,000 square feet of roof top with a new $36 cap.
Business persons, including Dean Carlton and the Mervises, were against the storm water management fee.
“We just can’t handle any more taxes and fees,” Carlton said.
He said the city is going about the fee structure the wrong way. Another way to address storm water issues needs to be found. The city doesn’t need any more reasons for new businesses not to come to the city and current businesses to leave, Carlton added.
Telling a business to absorb $1,000 more in fees a month, “this is a significant impact,” Carlton said.
Mervis Industries sent a letter to aldermen in opposition of the fee.
Ward 1 Alderman Rickey Williams Jr. said the city can’t afford to lose a business such as Mervis Industries with hundreds of jobs. He asked if the next generation of the Mervis family would do business here with all the city’s taxes and fees.
“That’s just one of many,” Williams said about the business impact with a storm water fee, and also the impact on low-income residents.
Some aldermen asked about having a lower tier of fees instead of starting at $3.50 a month and going up to $1,000. Additional budget cuts and finding money elsewhere also was discussed.
Ward 5 Alderman Tom Stone said he’s sorry it will cost one of the city’s businesses $60,000 more a year, but flooding in people’s basements is a safety and public health issue, too.
“You’ll get your basement flooded more often than you’ll have a fire,” he said.
The city council also heard from several residents, including Oregon Street resident Jack Nalett about the city’s “No. 1 job being the lives and the safety of our citizens.” Public safety needs to be the city's top priority, they said.
The council heard from Danville Assistant Fire Chief Tom Pruitt, who gave fire department self-sustaining options to layoffs and additional fees including Safer grants to pay for 75 percent of firefighter salaries for two years and city provided ambulance service.
He said laying off 16 firefighters won’t save money. Taking $675,000 out of the pension will leave less money to invest in the fund, he said.
Pruitt said having four to five firefighter recalls a day would be a safety issue for firefighters working almost 100 hours a week, the city will lose its Hazmat team with the layoffs and he also said closing fire station No. 3 now with minimum manning staying at 13 at least another year will only “punish” the citizens served by that station.
Ward 7 Alderman Lloyd Randle apologized for voting too prematurely on closing the fire station before the arbitration ruling. Several aldermen also said 16 firefighter layoffs is too many.
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