New budgets approved by city council

The Bloomington City Council preliminarily approved the budgets for both the police and fire departments. After the Council discussed the budgets, it passed an ordinance to set the salaries for the departments for 2003.\nThe police department asked for more money in 2003 than in 2002, mostly for two main expenses.\n"(The) majority of (the increase) is re-negotiation of salaries from the (Fraternal Order of Police) contract," Chief of Police Mike Hostettler said. \nHe also discussed new software the department purchased.\n"We feel this will help a great deal with dispatching," Hostettler said. "(There) will be a new employee that will become a software systems administrator."\nHostettler said while the dispatching center functions properly, with this new software, it will be able to more efficiently do its jobs.\nBefore the council approved the police department's budget, the council members praised the police's hard work.\n"It seems like every year things get better, especially in the neighborhoods," Councilmember Jason Banach said.\nThe fire department budget caused more controversy among the council. \nThe department has pledged to hire three new field employees each year for six years, for a total of 18. This year, it proposed hiring two field employees and one administrative position. \nJeff Barlow, the fire chief, said the department would still be able to make the 18 hires in six years, they would just have to hire more than average in the coming years. \n"I feel strongly about people in the field, not the administrators," Banach said.\nThe council had other problems with Barlow's pledge. It was concerned that when a new administration is elected, it may not want to expand the fire department like the current administration. \nThe council also approved an ordinance to change the firefighters' collective bargaining agreement to include captains. \nCurrently, captains are included in the agreement but cannot vote on any union business. The union approached the mayor's office to investigate the possibility of including captains. \nCouncil member Jeffrey Willsey had problems with this ordinance.\n"I think the distinction between supervisory and line positions is very important," Willsey said. \nCouncilmember Anthony Pizzo's said the hirings should not be situated to a case-by-case scenario.\n"I think they all work as a team, and they should be treated as a team," Pizzo said.