Nov. 26—Kirtland City Council unanimously voted last week to accept a state grant to hire three full-time firefighters, a decision that city officials say will help with department staffing and also provide cost savings over the next 10 years.

The resolution that was passed by council authorizes Mayor Kevin Potter to accept a $589,060 grant from the Ohio First Responder Recruitment, Retention and Resilience Program. The vote followed two public committee meetings and multiple private discussions on the department's needs and how the new full-time positions will impact the city's finances.

While the grant will cover most of the costs for the new firefighters over a two-year period, Potter noted at a Nov. 21 committee meeting that he wanted to consider the financial impact over the next 10 years and throughout the new hires' careers.

One focus was on making the new positions budget neutral, with the mayor citing the recent failure of Kirtland's income tax charter amendment and broader economic concerns.

Finance Director Louis Slapnicker noted at the committee meeting that the city can add the three full-time positions and still save between $110,000 and $355,000 over a 10-year period. These calculations factored in an anticipated reduction in the department's part-time and overtime hours, the elimination of a part-time administrative assistant role and the expected retirement of two current full-time firefighters before 2028.

Fire Chief Anthony Hutton noted at a Nov. 9 committee meeting that the department has seen an increase in unfilled shifts and overtime shifts in recent years, as well as a higher call volume and fewer applicants for part-time roles.

He added that frequent minimum staffing can impact quality of service. Additionally, high numbers of overtime hours may cause burnout for full-time employees.

Following council's decision to accept the grant on Nov. 21, Hutton told The News-Herald, "We're very happy that council passed it and we can move forward with hiring three full-time firefighters and we're already in the process. It's definitely going to help our staffing."

He noted that the department hopes to have the three new positions filled by Jan. 1. The grant will last from Jan. 1, 2023 until Dec. 31, 2024.

"I was hopeful we could find a creative solution that allowed us to accept this grant from Governor DeWine's office without creating future financial stress on our budget," Potter said. "Working with Chief Hutton and Finance Director Slapnicker, we were able to deliver a proposal to council that makes Kirtland safer and creates a savings for our taxpayers. Today was a good day for Kirtland."

An Oct. 7 news release from DeWine's office stated that $11 million had been awarded to 58 agencies as part of the Ohio First Responder Recruitment, Retention and Resilience program. The grant is administered by the Ohio Emergency Management Agency using funding set aside from the American Rescue Plan Act.