Frustrated Newburgh firefighters besieged the City Council meeting on Monday night, driven by Mayor Torrance Harvey’s suggestion that the administration study having one engine “on call,” a spending freeze blamed on overtime spending by the police and fire departments, and the potential layoff of nine firefighters at the end of the month.
Sign-carrying firefighters, some with family, flanked the entrance to Newburgh’s Activity Center before the meeting and some lined the sidewalk along Washington Street.
This year’s budget was balanced with anticipated overtime cuts of $424,000 for the police department and $322,000 for the fire department, but neither department is on pace to achieve those reductions, according to Comptroller Kathryn Mack.