Firefighters' Raise

A majority vote of the Fort Wayne Common Council approved a one-point-five percent pay increase for Fort Wayne Firefighters. The raise could mean similar pay raises for many city departments at a time when the citys budget is in a deficit. Jim Ridley is President of the Firefighters Local 124. He presented the Council with the pay raise last Tuesday night. Ridley says firefighters have gone without a raise this year and have made sacrifices to do their job while still trying to feed their families. "Firefighters have made sacrifices," Ridley said. Pay raises are governed by Fort Waynes Collective Bargaining Ordinance. A motion was made at the meeting last night to postpone the committee vote until the Citys 2010 budget comes out. Councilwoman and Finance Chair Liz Brown voted to postpone the vote on a raise last night. Brown says she was not opposed to a raise, she hoped to look at the entire budget before making a decision. The Citys revenues are down and Brown predicts that a pay raise for one department will have a spillover effect so that all branches of city government will get a similar raise. Brown says the desire to wait was an effort to look at the big picture at a time when the citys revenue is down and the budget is in a deficit. The Citys 2010 budget will not come in until this fall. The pay raise is not final. City Council will have to vote on it in general session.