Mayor Sundquist released the following statement after the Jamestown City Council voted to not approve the tentative agreement made between the City Administration and Jamestown Professional Firefighters Association, Local 137:
“I am extremely disappointed that the City Council elected not to approve the contract to fund our Fire Department, which would have enhanced fire protection and increased ambulance coverage in Jamestown. I thought that the administration and the union came to a fair deal, one that saw increased staffing to ease the hard work that our firefighters do every day, while getting rid of lifetime health insurance, which has an estimated actuarial savings for taxpayers of $2.2 million per firefighter. With the City facing ever increasing legacy costs, I truly thought it was better to pay a little more now for greater savings down the road.
This Council has chosen not to invest in public safety, has chosen not to invest in life-saving medical care for Jamestown residents, and has chosen not to invest in the men and women that serve our City bravely every day.
While this result is disappointing, I hope that we are able to come back to the table and re-engage with the union to come to another deal. Hopefully next time, the City Council will not vote to defund our firefighters.”
