City Council Clears Up Fire/EMS Levy Concern Regarding Layoffs

Some city employees may get laid off if the don’t pass. But Council President Jon Snyder made it clear at Monday night’s meeting that those layoffs would not target .

Council heard from Scott Kelly, president of the North Canton Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Association, during the public speaks portion of the meeting. Kelly spoke of his concerns that only fire and EMS employees would be laid off if the levies didn’t pass.

The city plans to ask residents to pass the replacement levies to make up for a $225,000 shortfall in the general fund.

Kelly said fire and EMS workers already had campaigned for a levy that passed in May 2010. The 1.5-mill two-year levy pays for EMS and generates $565,000 a year. Kelly said workers were told by Snyder that the levy would put the department in good financial standing.

“Now all of a sudden you’re saying it’s not good enough and we’re going to have to pay the price for your mistake,” he said. “I think better research should have been done on your part.”

The city now will ask voters to pass a 1-mill continuing replacement levy for EMS, generating about $378,000 a year, and a 0.5-mill continuing replacement levy for fire services, generating about $189,000 a year. Both would be the same millage as levies passed in the ’80s, but the new levies would bring in money based on current property values.

Kelly said it also seemed as if the shortfall in the 2012 budget and the need for the replacement levies was the fault of fire and EMS workers, when it’s really not.

“I’m tired of it, because it is not our fault,” he said. “We just come to do our job every day. That’s all we do. And I’m tired of it. When’s it going to stop that it’s our fault?”

After listening to Kelly’s remarks, Snyder said he never intended the fire and EMS employees to be singled out, and that layoffs could affect any department within the city. He said he had also pushed for a five-year non-renewable levy, but that was shot down and instead the city went with the two-year levy that expires at the end of 2012.

He assured Kelly the replacement levies are absolutely necessary.

"It was not done cavalier. It was thought out. It was charted and laid out prior to us doing it. We're not blaming the fire department."

Check back with North Canton Patch later today for more coverage of Monday night's North Canton City Council meeting.

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