Aldermen Jeremy Sacani has raised a complaint with the local fire department. His issue came from seeing on duty paid firefighters out mowing the lawn at the fire station. Something he thinks is a major waste of tax payers money.

“These firefighters take way too many liberties with time on the clock. Shopping at the store, sleeping, doing yard work. Are they city employees or welfare queens? When I am at you will find me working, not doing chores.”

When the aldermen wrote a letter published in the newspaper it caused many citizens to take note. Local business owner Paul VanDyke had this to say. “If one of my employees stepped out of work to go mow the lawn I would be fire them. So no I don’t think we should be paying a firefighter to mow the firehouse lawn.”

Chief Lawson tells us he tried to get the parks department to mow the firehouse lawn but due to the wording in park workers union contract they cannot. In response to the complaint the Fire Chief has hired a private contractor to mow the firehouse lawns. That contractor is billing the city over $50,000 for all lawn care services.

The fire chief left us with this thought, “I don’t get it. The aldermen wants to save tax payers money, but his complaint upped my budget. Meaning tax payers will have to pay more now. He see this as winning a political victory, but at a cost to the people he represents.”