The Anchorage Police Department and Anchorage Fire Department unions are speaking out about some of the amendments Mayor Dave Bronson vetoed in the assembly’s approved first quarter budget revision.
In a press release, the mayor’s office said the vetoes not only save taxpayer money and deliver a budget well below the tax cap, but also creates a “more efficient” and “effective government.” However, some local union leaders now have questions about the mayor’s actions.
Vice President Justin Mack of the Anchorage Firefighters Union Local 1264 said his union is displeased that the mayor vetoed funding for staffing and personnel improvements.
He specifically pointed to an amendment that would have allocated $50,000 from the Alcohol Tax Program that would have funded a study to review and make recommendations regarding the personnel levels, staffing structure, national standards and other contributors to labor costs within the fire department.