The City of Asheville would like $540,000 from the Department of Homeland Security to hire six more firefighters. Doing so will improve the city’s ISO rating and make it more eligible to receive additional federal and state pass-through funding. The grant will pay for the firefighters for two years, and then require the city to retain the firefighters for another year exclusively on local revenues.
Council has approved applying for similar grants a few times in the past. Not all grants were awarded. It would be nice to know what the city’s public safety departments’ budgets look like over the next few years, with respect to the phasing out of salaries paid by outside sources. Council will be having a special retreat October 8 to learn about creative financing schemes that can help city government maintain and enhance its current lifestyle while keeping property taxes flat.
Donna Martinez and Joe Coletti of the JLF addressed this somewhat yesterday. Coletti noted local governments usually run to the state for funding when the federal “match” for a grant runs out, and the state has been happy to provide the funds. However, stimulus that has propped up the state’s budget this year will start getting phased out next year, leaving what Coletti estimates will be a $3 billion budget gap – for starters.
I am reminded of Cheryl Crowe’s observation about “matches.”
. . . then he lights up every match
In an oversized pack letting each one burn
Down to his thick fingers before blowing and
Cursing them out . . .
