Virgina Beach units work to trim costs, maintain services

VIRGINIA BEACH

When someone dials 911, it's the city's police, fire and Emergency Medical Services departments that respond.

But over the next year, they'll have to do so with fewer resources.

Although the second-largest chunk of the city's $1.9 billion budget for the 2009- 10 fiscal year, which starts July 1, will go to public safety, the Beach's police, fire and EMS units will still have to make sacrifices.

Some vacancies will remain unfilled, new hiring delayed and training and overtime reduced, officials said. Their staff, as well as all other city employees, will go without pay raises.

"It's got to be done to make the bottom line," said EMS Division Chief Bruce Nedelka. "The public-safety sector has been once again asked to continue providing the level of service and response that's requested, and we have not seen any huge increases" in the budget.

The fire and police departments will see small budget cuts of less than 1 percent, and the EMS department will get a 2.8 percent budget increase.

"We had to cut some of their civilian staff, but we worked really hard to preserve patrol services and sworn police officers to ensure that we are able to meet the community's expectations in terms of call response," said Catheryn Whitesell, the city's budget director. "There's some things we just have to do, and we figure out a way to make it happen."

2009-10 BUDGETS

EMS department

The EMS department’s $7.5 million budget includes increases for fuel costs, utility money for the new Great Neck Volunteer Rescue Squad station and funding to replace old defibrillators.

Volunteers raised about $2.5 million to build the new station, which is located off Old Donation Parkway, Nedelka said. The city agreed to pay for utilities.

The department also will spend $200,000 to replace about 10 automated external defibrillators that have “passed their useful life,” Nedelka said.

To save money, the EMS department has reduced training overtime and worked with the city’s lifeguard contractor to save $40,500 by scheduling more efficiently. For example, there won’t be as many lifeguards on the Beach early in the morning, when there aren’t many people there, Nedelka said.

Fire department

The fire department will receive $43.2 million in the 2009- 10 fiscal year, but “we did take a hit,” said Battalion Chief Tim Riley, a department spokesman.

The department lost three positions and $75,000 in equipment funding, he said. It also will delay purchasing a new ladder truck and hiring 12 firefighter recruits for the Thalia Fire and Rescue Station, according to the budget.

Police department

The police department will receive the largest slice of the public-safety pie, $87.5 million, $56,605 less than last year.

The department has eliminated two vacant civilian positions, cut travel and training by 10 percent, reduced overtime and grounded its helicopters more, said Officer Jimmy Barnes, a police spokesman.

But the police department will receive two new part-time cold-case investigators and a new Animal Control manager.

Other departments

The sheriff’s department, commonwealth’s attorney and courts are also part of the public-safety sector, Whitesell said. They’ll receive a combined $49.5 million, 3.9 percent less than last year, according to the budget.

“It’s once again do the level of response, the level of care and find efficiencies so that it doesn’t have a negative impact,” Nedelka said. “Between police, fire and EMS, that’s what we’ve all worked diligently to do, and hopefully we’ll be able to weather this economic storm like we have in the past.”

Kathy Adams, (757) 222-5155, kathy.adams@pilotonline.com