Budget Cuts a Concern for Harrison's Emergency Responders

Two of Harrison's emergency response departments say that the town board went too far with , and that those cuts now hinder their ability to properly serve the town.

The  and  both warned in the months before the approval of the 2011 budget that additional cuts could increase emergency response times, possibly costing lives. Now both say they will struggle to provide adequate coverage this year.

"It's taken 15 years to build this department to where it was and it took two years to destroy it," said Harrison Police Chief Anthony Marraccini. "There's just not enough people to even operate at a minimum level."

Marraccini, who went through his first budget as police chief this year after  permanently in March, said he is frustrated by a lack of future planning, and lack of support for his department that has seen staffing levels drop from 79 in 2006 to 57 this year.

"We have a really great staff here that want to do what's right for the community and they are continually—and all town employees at this stage—are continuing to get beat up," said Marraccini. 

Harrison EMS, meanwhile, is slated to receive the same amount of funding this year that it received in 2010, despite responding to 730 additional calls last year. Although Harrison EMS is not funded entirely by the town, the department receives an annual stipend for its services. 

That stipend has been frozen at $500,000—about a quarter of the cost to run the department—for three years. This year changes to federal insurance policies have decreased third-party payments from each emergency call, leaving the EMS with "not even close" to enough funding to provide adequate service, according to EMS Chief of Operations Joseph Bilotto.

"Now I'm doing more (with) even less than I've had for three years," said Bilotto, who asked for an additional $100,000 in the 2011 budget to cover expenses.

But budgeting , and in , in Harrison has been difficult. The town board asked every department in Harrison to make a 10 percent cut for this year's budget, while the EMS stipend remained the same. Even with those 10 percent cuts across the board, the tax rate this year increased meaning any additions would likely be met with heavy resistance from tax-weary residents.

More expenses became even more of a hot-button issue when residents called for after the original 6.7 percent was proposed in late October. Providing either department with their requests would have increased the tax rate even more, something the board decided wasn't a feasible option.

Both libraries and the Harrison Fire Department were able to meet their budget reductions, while the EMS and police department asked for increases to meet their needs.

Marraccini proposed a staff of 68 officers for 2011, as well as several equipment upgrades including radios and street signs that will become mandatory in the next few years, he says. 

"We presented a professional budget that was really economical to provide the services to this community," said Marraccini.

Bilotto says he was hoping for funding to cover EMS medical supplies and vehicle upgrades that have been neglected for years. He also said he hoped to make upgrades to the EMS headquarters, which he says has become outdated as the town's population continues to grow. 

Both requests were denied in an effort to keep the tax increase minimal.

Marraccini said he recognizes that more tax increases are a tough pill to swallow, and as a taxpayer himself he has felt the pain of recent years. But added that chipping away at critical services to decrease taxes can be a double-edged sword.

"You're cutting services that keep your property values up," he said. "These budgets have no foresite for the success of the town."

In response to the reductions the police department has cut funding for the and student resource officer in the Harrison School District. Marraccini said he will also have to cut other internal programs within his department because he can't staff them.

Harrison EMS will likely have to put off any upgrades, as well as plans to station an ambulance in West Harrison while the North Street bridge remains under construction. Bilotto added that he will also likely be forced to keep one ambulance out of service at times this year, leaving only one on the road for the first time in two years.

"As much as I hate to do it, I can't afford to keep both trucks going 24/7 the way that they are," he said.

The town board maintained throughout the process that cuts were made out of necessity, as the town's financial struggles continue. But Marraccini said a further tax increase would cost each resident pennies a day. Pennies that could save a life in a time of need.

"Who's out working on Christmas? Who's out working when you're sleeping?" asked Marraccini. "When people are running away from a situation who's running toward it?"