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City of Tukwila <br />Allan Ekberg, Mayor <br />INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM <br />TO: Finance Council Committee <br />FROM: Peggy McCarthy, Finance Director and Jay C Wittwer, Fire Chief <br />BY: Vicky Carisen, Deputy Finance Director <br />CC: Mayor Ekberg <br />DATE: October 11, 2017 <br />SUBJECT: Fire Department Budget Update and Preliminary Year -End Budget <br />Amendment Information <br />ISSUE <br />The discussion below encompasses the Fire Department budget. It also includes a brief <br />discussion of other proposed budget amendments in order to provide context for the Fire <br />Department budget. <br />The Fire Department is currently projected to exceed the 2017 adopted budget largely due to <br />additional pipeline positions authorized by the Council in late 2016 and fewer than anticipated <br />retirements in 2017. <br />BACKGROUND <br />Pipeline Positions <br />Pipeline positions were introduced to the Fire Department in February of 2014. City Council <br />approved up to three pipeline positions in 2014 and an additional two pipeline positions in June <br />of 2016 in anticipation of future retirements. <br />Pipeline positions are unbudgeted and were created to save overtime costs associated with <br />retirements. When a Firefighter retires, it takes six to nine months to hire a Firefighter and have <br />them complete the training academy. The intent of the pipeline positions is to have staff ready to <br />move into the vacated position, thereby eliminating the need to fill the position with overtime. The <br />City has experienced overtime savings due to the pipeline positions; however, the savings were <br />not as much as expected. Pipeline positions that are not filling vacated positions provide an <br />additional cushion between total staffing per shift and minimum staffing of 13. <br />Fire Department Retirements <br />The Fire department's staff enjoys a significant amount of longevity. There are currently 24 Fire <br />personnel, or 34%, that are eligible to retire in three years or less. <br />Retirements have been averaging three a year since 2012. However, through the end of August, <br />there has only been one retirement. When the authorized pipeline positions increased from three <br />to five, it was anticipated that there would be at least three retirements in 2017 and pipeline <br />positions would transfer into the vacated position. <br />53 <br />