The City of Springfield’s currently has a deficit of $11 million, which needs to be brought down to zero by the end of the month.
As the city grapples with balancing its budget, some city council members are looking toward the fire department.
"If we continue down this road, we're going to get to a point where everything we're doing is unsustainable,” Springfield Alderman John Fulgenzi said. City record show 39 members of the Springfield Fire Department made over $100,000 in 2017, meaning almost 20 percent department made over six figures.
Gary Self, president of Springfield’s fire union Springfield Firefighters Local 37, said only staff chiefs and battalion chiefs have contractual salaries of over $100,000 a year.