The city of Newton could get three new firefighters if it receives a federal grant intended to beef up fire departments throughout the nation.
Newton Fire Chief Kevin Yoder requested nine more fire department personnel Tuesday night as part of the city’s application for a SAFER grant.
If the city is awarded a grant, it would pay the salaries and some overtime for the additional employees for two years at 100 percent. The city would not have to match the grant during the first two years but would either have to pick up the salaries at the beginning of the third year or pay for unemployment benefits, according to information from the city.
Yoder told the council during its meeting Tuesday the federal government has put $380 million toward the program and will award 400 grants. The fewer the number of additional personnel within an application, the less chance a city has of being awarded a grant, Yoder said.
The priorities of the grant, in order, are to hire firefighters who have been laid off, fill vacant positions and hire new firefighters, Yoder said.
The grants will not pay for uniforms and gear, he said.
Nine firefighters would enable the department to meet standards that recommend there should be 15 firefighters at the scene of a fire, regardless of the population of the city, town or area, Yoder said.
Yoder told the council that at the end of the two years of grant money for the positions, the city could decide to get rid of three or six or retain all nine.
But council members said even if the city didn’t have to meet a match for the first two years, the grant money would not be free.
Council member Bill Lutz said he has a problem with applying for the grant to hire nine additional firefighters when there is the possibility the city may have to build another fire department.
Councilman Robert Abernethy said he is concerned about the obligation after the two years of grant money was up.
The council voted to apply for a grant to fund three positions. Abernethy was the lone council member who voted against the measure.
In other business, the council:
- Approved a budget amendment to use money from the general fund to build a road for fire protection purposes at the city landfill on Boston Road.
- Approved amending a special use permit that would allow the city to remove a row of white pines in front of the water plant along NC 10 that was first required as a buffer. City staff told the council that removing the trees would create better security for the plant because it would then be visible from NC 10.
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