WESTFIELD – Two City Councilors will introduce a motion tonight to initiate discussion of the Civil Service and the problems inherent in that system when filling positions within city departments.
At-large Councilor Brian Sullivan and Ward 2 Councilor Ralph Figy are introducing a motion to “investigate eliminating the Westfield Police, Fire and Gas & Electric departments from the Civil Service system.”
Figy said this morning that he is not “advocating” dismantling of the city’s participation in Civil Service, but wants to “raise the conversation” about its impact on overtime spending, especially in the Fire Department.
“Basically it is an attempt to be fiscally prudent,” Figy said,. “The city is spending $500,000 in overtime, most of it in the Fire Department. So I’m looking at reducing overtime. Unless you talk about the problem, you’ll never find solution to it.”
The issue of Fire Department overtime spending was discussed at Finance Committee of the whole session held prior to the Dec. 18 City Council session.
Fire Chief Mary Regan said at that time that the department is being forced to use overtime because of the number of firefighters who are out of work due to injuries and because there are vacancies within the department that have not been filled because Civil Service has not provided a list of eligible candidates.
Regan said the four “groups” are suppose to be manned with 18 firefighters and paramedics, but that due to injury and sickness two groups are down to 14 firefighters and two are at 15 members.
“When will relief from Civil Service come?” Sullivan asked Regan, “You have eight unfilled positions.”
“Civil Service is broken,” Regan replied. “The list (of candidates) was frozen in September. A new list was supposed to come Dec. 1, but we have not received it yet.”
“Is there a time when you can fill those positions without Civil Service?” Sullivan asked.
“The city would have to pull out of Civil Service,” Regan replied.
Figy, who has been chairman of the council’s Personnel Action Committee for the past year, said the problems with Civil Service are not limited to the Fire Department.
“Maybe this is the time to look at pulling out (of the Civil Service) program,” Figy said. “You’re having a problem. The Police Department had a two-year Civil Service severance investigation. It’s just not working.”
WG&E General Manager Dan Howard has said at several Municipal Light Board meetings that Civil Service classifications are rigid and do not allow flexibility in creating job descriptions needed to fill his department’s needed, especially as technology changes the workplace environment.
That issue is also related to the appropriation request totaling $245,000 that Mayor Daniel M. Knapik is submitting tonight to the City Council. Knapik is seeking approval of those funds to pay for the design of a renovation to the Little River Road fire substation.
The project is being undertaken to expand the substation which is currently manned by two firefighter/paramedics. The current staffing limits the department’s response to either the ambulance of the engine, but not both.
The substation will be renovated to allow greater staffing and the ability to provide a dual response to emergencies in the southeast quadrant of the city which is comprised largely of Ward 5.
Expanding the response capabilities of the Little River Fire Substation has been a priority of Robert A. Paul Sr., the current Ward 5 City Councilor and his predecessor Richard E. Onofrey Jr.,
“We need to expand both the capability and capacity of the Little River station to have a dual response,” Paul said this morning.
Paul said that he would like to invite all departments to submit a capital spending plan this March which will free up funds in departmental budgets that could be used for staffing and operational needs.
“The city’s expenses are driven by an obsolete fiscal structure,” Paul said. “I would like to have all departments come back with a capital spending plan so we could use bonds for that. It is the perfect time to do that with a AAA bond rating.
“Some of the staffing issues would be resolved because a capital plan will free up money within departmental budgets,” Paul said.
