CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- Bradley County officials have gone back to the drawing board for at least the third time in as many months to sort out how much of a raise county firefighters should receive and how the county will pay for it.
County commissioners voted 13-1 in March to raise the fire tax to 0.4712 cents per $100 of value in county fire districts to generate $630,000 for proposed fire department salary increases, but that didn't settle the issue.
Lately commissioners have discussed funding the raises through projected revenue growth rather than the fire tax. Bradley County Mayor D. Gary Davis has proposed a 2 percent salary increase for the department in addition to whatever step increase may be implemented.
On Thursday, the commission's finance committee asked Chief Troy Maney to provide a salary scale plan for Bradley County Fire Rescue based allocation of $293,000 for salaries.
"Firefighters have expressed concerns over what will happen concerning their pay," said Maney, citing the need for meaningful increases and pay differentiation between the ranks and officers, commensurate with responsibilities.
Although finance committee members said the salary scale plan is in Maney's hands, several commissioners balked when the fire board approved the department's last plan, which included raises of between 25 percent and 33 percent.
Some commissioners complained that step increases in the first proposal were too top-heavy, leading to debate over how to encourage firefighters to aspire to leadership and the burdens of command responsibilities.
Commissioner Dan Rawls, who voted against raising the the fire tax, has expressed concern that the overall original funding plan was "a little too ambiguous."
That proposal would have boosted firefighters' base pay of $24,000 by up to $8,000 over two years. Subsequent proposals have called for smaller bumps of between $3,000 and $5,500.
"No department ever gets what they want," said Commissioner Charlotte Peak, who voiced support for providing fire department raises without increasing the fire tax.
Maney has said often that losing personnel to better-paying departments costs Bradley County Fire Rescue experienced firefighters as well as considerable investments in time and training.
The department's consistent turnover is driven by its "uniquely low wages," said Lt. David Sims in a meeting with Bradley County commissioners last month.
Davis has expressed frustration with the back-and-forth process and criticisms leveled at him by firefighters who "cuss me when I'm not around."
"It gets old and and then it gets old," Davis said.
Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.