Council to Vote on Hiring 7 Firefighters, Set Special Election for March 31

Correction: An earlier version of this story said the city would hire back nine firefighters, when they plan to hire back seven.

The White Plains Common Council has called a special meeting Tuesday at 8 p.m. to vote on accepting and executing a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which would hire back seven firefighters that were laid off.

The council will also vote on a resolution to set the date for a special election as March 31, to fill the remainder of former Mayor Adam Bradley's term.  The Republican Committee Chairman is disputing the election date. Click for more about this in our story. 

The original grant would have allowed the city to spend the funding on hiring the nine firefighters that were laid off in last year’s cycle of budget cuts. Congresswoman Nita Lowey secured the grant, which is funded through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Staffing for Adquate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program.

Acting Mayor Thomas Roach said he worked with Homeland Security to alter the grant so that the city could hire back only seven firefighters for two years, since he said the City couldn’t afford to hire back the full nine with only $1.9 million—when you account for pension and healthcare.

So far, one of the nine who were laid off has already been hired back by the City since there was a retirement in the White Plains Fire Bureau. A second firefighter was hired by another department.

“It [hiring back seven firefighters with the grant] will reduce overtime costs in the fire department—so not only will this not cost White Plains money, it will actually save money,” said Roach.

Roach said he hopes that the City can fill up the ranks and hire another two firefighters, and that the City is applying for another grant to be discussed in August, which would allow them to. Roach said he is awaiting final approval from Homeland Security and that the council should vote on it at Tuesday’s meeting or their next meeting.

Check back with White Plains Patch for updates during and after the meeting.