Firefighters question city numbers

Kalispell firefighters contend that laying off seven firefighters is unnecessary because the city is overbudgeting the cost of firefighter compensation.

Greg Daenzer, an eight-year Kalispell Fire Department veteran who has been negotiating with the city, walked several reporters through a series of calculations at a press conference Friday at the north Kalispell fire station.

The city budgets for a maximum liability of 2,834 hours per firefighter, when contractually the total hours of compensation is limited to 2,742 hours in 2011, Daenzer said. The firefighters’ calculations also account for “Kelly days,” or scheduled days off without pay, when the city’s calculations do not, according to Daenzer.

The city budgets 82 excess hours for each firefighter this year and a total of 170 hours in excess is expected for the next two fiscal years, he said.

“This overstates a firefighter’s annual pay,” Daenzer said of the city’s calculations.

An arbitration ruling led to a new contract that granted many individual firefighters  pay increases of about $6,000. City officials estimate the new contract will cost the city an additional $690,000 over three years.

That expectation prompted City Manager Jane Howington to notify seven junior firefighters this week that they will be laid off May 15.

Daenzer said he has calculated that the extra costs actually will be about half the city’s $690,000 estimate because the city overstates actual firefighter compensation.

Representatives of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 547 are scheduled to meet with city officials next week to negotiate over their differences.

“It’s ridiculous that the only solution is to lay off firefighters,” said Ray Ruffatto, the union local’s secretary. “We’re confident that we can help the city avert layoffs.”

Negotiations could get rocky. Contacted Friday afternoon, Howington said she is familiar with the union’s budget calculations.

“They don’t like my numbers and my staff doesn’t like their numbers and I told them I still have to budget according to the way we budget for everything,” she said. “We’re not going to debate numbers anymore. We’re done with that. I’m going to implement the contract as best I can.”

The firefighters’ union has challenged the city’s claims about being short on cash when it currently has reserves of about $900,000. But reserves fluctuate because the city gets tax receipts only twice a year.

Howington projects the city will end the fiscal year with reserves in the range of $750,000 to $800,000.

“Common accepted accounting practices (for municipalities) require you to have 15 percent of your budget” as reserves, she said. That would translate to a reserve target of about $1.5 million for Kalispell.

When Howington was hired two years ago, the city had an ending fund balance of just $200,000.

“My mandate was to bring this organization back to a sustainable and efficiently operating organization and that’s what I’m doing,” she said.

Howington said she has the backing of the mayor and City Council.

“They’ve expressed their support and I wouldn’t be operating the way we’re operating if I wasn’t keeping them in touch with what’s going on,” she said.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.