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New Bedford’s state delegation is stepping into the city’s budget crisis — but Mayor Jon Mitchell says the problem is a bigger, structural issue that still needs to be addressed.
Sen. Mark Montigny announced on Wednesday that the Senate approved an amendment that directs $500,000 in state aid to keep Fire Station 9 in New Bedford temporarily open. He also touted an increase in state aid for New Bedford, but Mitchell said that aid was already factored into his budget proposal after it was first announced weeks ago.
“This is not a one-time problem; this is a structural deficit in the budget that we are trying to close and we can’t close it with one-time money,” Mitchell said.
The $500,000 of new funds could delay the closure of Fire Station 9 and the accompanying 26 layoffs or eliminations for about three months, Mitchell said.
Montigny’s amendment still needs to pass a reconciliation committee with the House and be signed by Gov. Maura Healey before it becomes official.
With enough funding to temporarily delay the station’s closure, Mitchell said his goal remains the same: reduce the staffing of New Bedford’s fire engines to bring down long-term costs. “We’ve been talking to the unions and there are longer-term cost-saving measures we want to continue talking about,” Mitchell said.
On Thursday, The Light asked Fire Chief Brian Medeiros about the new funding from Montigny. It was a “happy surprise,” Medeiros said. But since the station’s proposed closure was announced, Medeiros has been working on a new safety plan for how the department will adapt. That work will continue.
“We have to be ready for it,” Medeiros said. If sufficient resources were available, Medeiros said he would want Station 9 to remain open.
Other New Bedford firefighters celebrated Montigny’s announcement this week. Billy Sylvia, president of the New Bedford firefighters’ union, called the senator’s move “leadership” and thanked him for his support of the community.
“The unexpected budget deficit was dropped to the city of $32 million after a surplus was announced in November,” Sylvia said. “Senator Montigny without delay sought to help fix the issue. Giving our city the money and tools to keep Engine 9 in service and the men and women on the rig to serve our community when needed most.”
Montigny’s release also hints at how the politics of this decision are playing out behind the scenes. “The state delegation and city council are working together to find solutions, and I thank Council President Ryan Pereira and his colleagues for their steady and productive engagement on this issue,” Montigny wrote in his release.
“We gave thanks to the people involved in discussions in the past few days,” said Audra Riding, Montigny’s legislative director. Mitchell was not among them.
Email Colin Hogan at chogan@newbedfordlight.org and Eleonora Bianchi at ebianchi@newbedfordlight.org.
