Montgomery County’s firefighter union wants to reopen negotiations on its current contract after learning that the county will have an estimated $79 million in unanticipated revenue this fiscal year. The county’s firefighters have had no cost of living increases in three years and no service increases in two, and last year’s furloughs cost them an average 3 percent of their salaries, said Montgomery County Career Fire Fighters Association President John Sparks. The county also increased the health insurance and pension costs for all government employees for the current fiscal year.
All of these factors amount to cuts of between $8,000 and $15,000 annually for each of the county’s 1,000 firefighters, Sparks said. The starting salary is $42,000.
In a letter to County Executive Ike Leggett, Sparks asked the county to reopen discussions on the union’s contract for the year that is halfway over. Rather than “continuing the odious trend of balancing the county’s budget on the backs of employees,” the county should use part of the $79 million to give back to its employees, he said.
Since the revenue surge is likely a one-time boost, Sparks suggested giving firefighters a 3 percent bonus, the same amount that the firefighters lost to furloughs. That would cost the county about $2 million.
Montgomery County Office of Human Resources Director Joseph Adler declined to comment on Sparks’ request. The county is in negotiations over fiscal 2013 contracts for all three county government unions.
The county is expected to reap $184.5 million more in income tax revenue than officials had anticipated — $120.9 million in fiscal 2012 and $63.6 million in fiscal 2013 — but expects $68.9 million less from other taxes, Office of Management and Budget Director Jennifer Hughes told the County Council last month. This amounts to a net $115.6 million in unbudgeted revenue, $79.2 million of it this fiscal year.
County law requires that at least half of the $79 million be put into the county’s reserves, said Hughes, and the county probably will need to use all of it to help close next year’s budget gap, estimated to be $135.4 million after factoring in the $79 million.
