St. Charles: Union was no help in holding budget

St. Charles officials passed a balanced budget Monday night but made it clear it comes without help from the fire department.

The city's new budget year begins May 1. Discussions with the fire union began back in October 2008 when the need for budget cuts became clear.

On Monday, the city council passed a budget with all employees taking a wage freeze, except the fire department.

Nobody representing the firefighters' union attended the meeting, nor was available for comment Tuesday night.

The new budget contains a number of cuts and deferred expenses - even the spring cleanup program came under scrutiny. The council directed the city to keep the program alive for one more year, likely by increasing the cost of trash stickers by 15 cents each.

But it was the wage freeze that had the largest and most contentious impact on the budget. The failure to get the firefighters to freeze their pay adds about $226,000 into a budget already facing a deficit.

The firefighters still will receive the 3.75 percent raise mandated by their current contract. The raises come at a cost, unless other money-saving measures are found; one firefighter will be laid off and the department's paid on-call staff will be phased out. A timeline of discussions with the fire union details the city's disappointment.

"It is apparent that the firefighters have no desire or interest in assisting the city in addressing the financial situation that we currently face," reads the timeline summary. "It can be assumed that there is a lack of mutual trust and that further endeavors on the part of the city are futile. In this time - a time that could be considered the city's greatest financial need - the firefighter union refused to respond to the call."

What happens with the city's police force remains to be seen. Negotiations with the police are ongoing, as a new contract is needed. The absence of a contract freezes wages until a new contract is on the books. The impact of the new police contract on the budget will be known within 60 days.