Tucson Fire Chief Jim Critchley is proposing to cut $4.7 million from the department budget — which includes possible job demotions — in a belt-tightening measure to help the city’s budget woes.
The proposal was released in a memo from the chief to all employees. Some of the changes may begin before July.
City Manager Michael Ortega has asked all city departments for plans to cut costs because the city’s deficit for fiscal year 2017 is expected to be $25.6 million. The Fire Department’s plan was presented to Ortega, and Ortega still needs to present a budget to the mayor and City Council.
In the memo, Critchley said the Fire Department’s proposal was a “difficult task” and said the “changes may impact how we provide services to the community.”
However, in an email interview, Critchley said he does not believe the cuts will affect the department’s average response time, which is now 7 minutes, 28 seconds per call. The budget cuts will eliminate 14 full-time positions. “As difficult as it may be, rethinking how we do things today may reveal new, innovative, and more efficient ways to provide services tomorrow while still adhering to our mission,” Critchley said in the memo.