Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Sly James and City Manager Troy Schulte have unveiled their proposal for next year's city budget.
The mayor and city manager would increase city spending 3.5 percent next year, with the largest area of increase for the fire department.
That roughly $10 million is primarily to cover costs of operating the city ambulance system. City communications director Chris Hernandez said more than $700,000 of that is for installing new equipment on fire trucks to create a larger force for medical emergency response.
The budget also calls for a salary freeze for all city employees. Hernandez said it is important to notice that it is a temporary situation.
“The important thing to note is: this is a one year freeze that is built into a five-year plan, and it will help us regain structural balance that we are seeking to achieve in the budget,” he said.
Part of that structural balancing job is fully funding city pension plans for the second year n a row, which Hernandez calls “an investment in the future of all city employees.”
Unions that represent city employees, including firefighters, would have to sign off on the wage freeze.