The following is a statement from City Councilor Shane Burgo:
The City Council has done its part to restore the funding needed to keep Fire Station 9 online and bring back the 26 firefighter positions eliminated as part of the station’s closure.
Now, it’s up to the Mayor to follow through and deliver.
Last night, I secured City Council approval of two appropriation orders that provide the funding necessary to restore Fire Station 9 in New Bedford’s North End and strengthen public safety across our community.
Unfortunately, despite repeated requests, the Mayor’s administration refused to provide the City Council with the exact funding figures needed to keep the station open. When I reached out to the CFO’s office for that information, I was informed that the Mayor’s Office had directed them not to release it.
Rather than allow that lack of transparency to stand in the way of restoring the station, I went back to the information the administration provided during our budget hearings and in previous communications.
At the time, we were told that closing Fire Station 9 would save approximately $1.8 million—about $1.5 million from eliminating 26 firefighter positions and roughly $300,000 in associated health insurance costs.
Since then, the state budget provided an additional $500,000 specifically earmarked for Fire Station 9, reducing the amount needed to fully restore the station.
Based on those figures, I filed two appropriation orders, both of which were approved by the City Council:
- $1 million for Fire Personnel Services to restore the 26 firefighter positions.
- $300,000 for Health Insurance/Purchase of Services to restore the benefits associated with those positions.
The message from the Council is clear: the funding is there.
We have provided the Mayor with the appropriations necessary to restore Fire Station 9, return these firefighters to service, and improve public safety in the North End and throughout the region.
Now the Mayor has a choice.
He can approve these appropriations, restore the 26 firefighter positions, and keep Fire Station 9 open—or he can continue to leave our community waiting while a critical public safety resource remains at risk.
The City Council has given the Mayor the tools he needs to act.
We have the funding. We have the appropriations. Now it is time to stop gambling with New Bedford’s safety and keep Fire Station 9 open.
