BY VINAYA SAKSENA

CENTRAL FALLS — The City Council Monday voted unanimously — albeit with clear reservations in their ranks — to approve ordinances that will determine the city’s budget, with final passage expected to take place Thursday night.

The vote came after extensive deliberations by the council in recent weeks, plus a long executive session at the beginning of Monday night’s meeting and a tense discussion with the head of a union representing city firefighters. Council member Elizabeth Crowley noted that she was voting in favor of the ordinances “with reservations,” and Council President William Benson made his displeasure with the process known following the public hearing, which saw firefighters filling many seats in the council chambers.
Following the meeting, council members and others present expressed frustration at what they saw as a fanning of ill feelings between police and fire. During public comment on the budget, Robert Bradley Jr., President of the firefighters’ Local 1485 union, expressed objection to cuts in the budget, which he said would likely lead to layoffs of eight firefighters.
“Manpower is what makes our fire department effective,” Bradley told the council. “The most technologically advanced equipment is nothing without effectively trained personnel.”
Bradley pointed out that Mayor Charles Moreau had been vocal in expressing his intent to maintain strong municipal services, particularly public safety, even in the face of tough financial times for both the city and the state. The mayor had been particularly outspoken about the matter following the shooting deaths of two teens in April. On Monday, Bradley expressed a feeling that firefighters did not seem to be viewed with the same degree of importance as the police department, with which they share a building.
“Public safety has been a constant theme in this administration,” Bradley said. “I guess this only applies to one side of the building. Their numbers continue to grow, while ours are being (reduced) constantly.”
In defense of the police department he oversees, Col. Joseph Moran said his department had been looking for ways to cut costs without hurting services, noting that they had recently found a way to obtain replacement light bulbs for $16 apiece, compared with a previous cost of roughly $140. He added that he understood the firefighters’ grievances, but did not wish for animosity to develop between departments over perceived improprieties.
“Obviously, I feel for the fire department, being next door,” Moran said. “I live in the city. I don’t want to see any cuts in the fire department either.”
Others present expressed frustration with the city’s difficult financial circumstances, most also expressing sympathy for firefighters, but noting that everyone working for the city- and their families- were feeling the pinch. Personnel Director Gene Noury noted that an estimated 17 city hall employees appeared likely to face layoffs.
“It’s medicine that we have to swallow now so that we can survive as we go forward,” Noury said. “We may not (agree with) everything in the mayor’s budget. But we are professionals, and we will work within the mayor’s budget.”
“Am I happy with what’s going on? No,” Benson said. “I just don’t know what else we can do.”
The mayor’s proposed budget put total appropriations for the coming fiscal year at $17,471,336, an amount it indicated was equal to the city’s projected general fund revenues. Both police and fire department line items were reduced from the previous year’s appropriations, according to an advertisement of the budget hearings put out by the city. On Monday, Councilwoman Eunice DeLaHoz attempted to quell the tension in the room following discussions of the budget cuts with the firefighters.
“It’s not going to be easy for us to do, and by no means is it something that we take lightly,” she said. “We don’t want to balance the budget on the backs of any one department. I don’t want to say that the fire department is any less important than the police department. You guys put your lives on the line every day.”
Benson noted that the budget articles voted on Monday were not finalized, and may see revision before coming up for final passage on Thursday. The hearing was scheduled to take place at city hall, located at 580 Broad Street, on at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, according to an advertisement put out by the city earlier this month.