Roanoke City Council’s Monday afternoon session was one of the first times we have seen Mayor Nelson Harris since his thumping at the polls last week. And it was one of the last times the current council will convene.
But this is no lame duck council. Monday they passed a long list of much debated budget items in record time.
One of those items brought out a big chuck of the Roanoke City Firefighters. They're angry about a $300,000+ cut to the department’s budget that they say will eliminate 8 firefighter positions and one fire truck.
The firefighters attending Monday’s session did not address council, but they did send a message.
“We wanted them to look us in the eye,” said Rodney Jordan, president of the Roanoke Firefighter Association, after the meeting. “We wanted them to sit there today, believe in what they were voting for and not a one of them was able to look us in the eye.”
Councilwoman Gwen Mason says not so fast.
“Firefighters always mean a lot to me,” she said. But, Mason stands by the unanimous vote to cut the budget.
“When I have senior managers who are responsible for the fire telling me that Roanoke is going to stay safe and that our firefighters will have the tools they need with the modest cut, I have to respect that,” she said.
The assembled firefighters appear ready to take this fight to the new council.
“Any time you have something taken away, you have to fight to get it back,” Jordan said. “The problem is this fight is going to probably cost somebody their life.”
Council didn't just cut. They also raised a lot of fees. Parking in the fire lane or in front of a fire hydrant will now cost $50. Registering your moped went up $10 to $15. It will also now cost $15 for your motorcycle license tax.
Calling an ambulance went up as well, although your insurance should cover that increase. And the courthouse security fee doubled to $10.
All of it is to pay for a budget that is growing in some areas. Monday, Council approved spending $200,000 to help build a new YMCA facility, $325,000 for work in the Enterprise Zone, and millions more in extra costs for construction on the City Market Garage, the new Police Academy, and the Melrose Fire Station.
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