By Peter Hegarty
Contra Costa Times
ALAMEDA, Calif. — Combining the jobs of police and fire chief into a single “director of public safety” could be among the proposals that emerge when a consultant brought in by the city offers ways to cut costs and streamline operations in the two departments.
The report from the International City/County Management Association could be available as early as next month. The City Council is expected to use the consultant’s recommendations as it works to adopt a budget by the end of June for the upcoming fiscal year.
“The police and fire departments make up about 70 percent of the city’s budget,” Deputy City Manager Lisa Goldman said. “If we are going to make such a significant contribution toward public safety, then we should also make sure that we are using our resources wisely and effectively.”
So far, no recommendations have been made by the Washington DC-based firm, Goldman noted.
But the idea of combining the police and fire chief jobs could emerge from the report, City Councilman Frank Matarrese said.
“The consultant is looking at the entire operation at both departments, from top to bottom,” Matarrese said. “If combining the chief positions will benefit the public and the officers and firefighters, and if it will make the departments more efficient, then that’s something I think we should look at.”
The decision by former City Manager Debra Kurita who quit last month to bring in a consultant comes against a backdrop of the city launching rolling brownouts at fire stations in January to save money.
The brownouts allow the city to avoid paying overtime when less than 27 firefighters are on duty as a result of someone being sick or on vacation.
Without the brownouts, officials said they would need to come up with an additional $344,000 just to maintain the current level of firefighters for each shift through June.
Last year, the City Council approved about $4 million in overall cuts due to the sluggish economy. More belt-tightening is on the horizon, Mayor Beverly Johnson has warned.
The cities of Sunnyvale and Rohnert Park each have a single “director of public safety,” instead of separate police and fire chiefs.
How much money would be saved here by combining the two positions is unclear.
The Alameda police chief earns a base salary of at least $166,000 annually, plus benefits. The fire chief makes at least $195,000, plus benefits.
Police Chief Walt Tibbet was ill and out-of the-office Thursday and unavailable for comment.
Fire Chief Dave Kapler also could not be reached.
Some rank-and-file police officers, who asked not to be named, said they are against combining the two positions. The jobs require separate skills and different backgrounds, they said. A fire chief does not understand police work, such as a investigating a homicide, and with no background in those type of cases it could put the public at risk, officers said.
Matarrese said he wasn’t so sure.
“The fire chief does not fight fires and the police chief does not investigate crimes,” he said. “They’re administrators and they help run the departments. But whether those jobs could be combined is what the management review is supposed to reveal. And if there’s a downside to it, then I want to know it.”