Firefighters, police association and community groups urge council to protect public safety and First Night funding

Speakers at the April 29 public comment period urged the Monterey City Council to weigh the operational consequences of staff’s proposed emergency budget measures and to preserve small but important community programs.

Philip, vice president of Monterey Firefighters Local 370, told the council that staff recommendations to freeze an assistant fire chief, a deputy fire marshal and three firefighter positions “go against multiple findings and recommendations from the city gate standards of coverage study published in 2022.” He warned that reductions would increase workload, risk single points of failure in emergency management and raise overtime costs.

“Any reductions in staffing would wind back the clock toward a tumultuous past,” Philip said, urging the council to retain the positions or produce a detailed operational analysis before freezing them.

Chris Richardson, treasurer of the Monterey Police Association, said the department has lost substantial experienced staff since 2008 and that cutting special assignments could reduce retention and increase overtime and recruiting costs.

Several nonprofit leaders, including Ellen Martin, director of First Night Monterey, said the group’s programs serve thousands and that eliminating a roughly $35,000 annual city contribution would threaten year‑round arts programming and the alcohol‑free New Year’s Eve celebration. Martin described the city contribution as “foundational” for securing sponsorships and year‑round offerings.

Speakers from the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and multiple residents urged the council to pair any proposed tax measures with visible, accountable expenditure reductions. Commenters also pressed for clearer information about how overtime is reimbursed and how frozen positions were selected.

Council members responded by expressing sympathy for community concerns, particularly about First Night and public safety, and by asking staff to return with more detailed operational analyses at the June 2 budget meeting. Several council members said they supported keeping First Night funding under consideration and requested detailed lists showing which frozen vacancies might affect frontline services.

No formal vote on staffing or program cuts occurred at the April 29 session; staff committed to provide additional data to the council before any final action.