Palm Springs to close jail, fire station
April 22, 2010
| Palm Springs officials announced Wednesday that they will close the city’s jail and one of its five fire stations as part of efforts to close a $7.7 million budget deficit projected for the coming fiscal year. Officials plan to cut 59 more city staff positions – including public safety personnel – as the west valley city continues to suffer overwhelming losses in tax revenue and a ballooning budget deficit. The city will lose nine sworn police officer and six fire positions – and 15 more non-public-safety employees will be laid off. Mayor Steve Pougnet called the latest cuts “heart-wrenching” but “necessary to right-size the government,” prior to the meeting. The cuts bring the city’s total eliminated staff in the past two years to 107. City Manager David Ready said he aims to have most of the layoffs completed by mid-May. The city already has laid off employees and enacted furloughs to help deal with $18 million deficits in the past two years. “It’s devastating,” said City Councilman Lee Weigel, a former Palm Springs police chief. Police Chief David Dominguez said closing the Palm Springs jail will require his officers to drive to Indio to book people into jail, taking them out of the field for about an hour’s worth of driving time. Fire station No. 5, at 5800 Bolero Road, will close. The firefighters will be relocated to vacant fire positions at the other four stations across the city, Ready said. “Those fire guys here are extremely valuable to this here club,” said James Cione, a resident of nearby El Dorado Mobile Estates, a mobile home community of some 450 seniors in south Palm Springs. Emergency personnel from station No. 5 respond to health issues there at least twice a day, Cione said. “They know everybody. They know what to do. They have their own clicker to open the door … they’re in here in 30 seconds from the fire station.” City officials said medical emergencies make up about 90 percent of the Palm Springs’ fire calls, and they’re working to replace fire crews with private ambulance crews if the station closes. Palm Springs Fire Chief Blake Goetz said station No. 5 frequently supports calls of service to other parts of the city. Closing the station will allow more firefighters to respond to emergencies from the remaining four stations, he said. Palm Springs presently employs 459 including airport staff – the most employees of any valley city. Its police department has 105 sworn officers, the largest of the valley’s four city police forces that don’t contract with Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, according to a Palm Springs city survey. By comparison, Cathedral City has 54 sworn officers and Indio has 74, the survey indicated. Both have more residents than Palm Springs. Palm Springs’ cuts also likely will lead to longer lines at City Hall, slower response times for code enforcement, less-frequent street-sweeping, landscaping and park maintenance and other decreases in city services, City Manager David Ready said. The City Council will in the coming months will consider closing the city’s pool and skate park and limiting sponsorships to special events, he added. Glance:Palm Springs general fund revenues: 2007-08: $75 million 2008-09: $71.5 million 2009-10: $66.5 million 2010-11 (projected): $62 million Source: Palm Springs Department of Finance Palm Springs staff cuts for 2010-11 ” Voluntary leave: 8 ” Layoffs: 15 ” Police sworn officer cuts: 9 ” Police non-sworn cuts: 21.5 ” Fire cuts: 6 Total: 59.5 Total staff cuts in the past two years: 107 |