Little Rock, Arkansas – At a special meeting on Thursday, the City of Little Rock discussed its third reading of the 2025 budget, which totals more than $333 million.
Public safety, parks and recreation, infrastructure and public works, and everything in between are given top priority in the budget, according to Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr.
An agreement with the city and the Little Rock Fire Department was required before the budget could be approved.
Before voting on the budget, the mayor and the board of directors convened to hear from firemen and their families.
Matthew Stallings, president of Little Rock Firefighters Local 34, stated, “That’s why this issue is so urgent because I know that when we show up, we are there to help, and even if we don’t have all the equipment we need, we are still going to do all that we can.”
During public remarks, Stallings spoke on behalf of every firefighter present. voicing further worries about living and working conditions, wages, and hours.
In relation to a budget deadline, Scott stated, “Some years we go to the brink, some years it’s police, this year it was fire.”
“I know what they’re going to do because I know them,” Stallings said. “It’s not safe to show up to a high-rise fire without a ladder or to a house fire in a pickup truck.”
According to the mayor, an agreement was reached with the fire union during the meeting that called for a two-year contract with an annual wage rise of 5%.
As of right now, the living and working circumstances for firemen are the same, and their hours will not alter.
As a firefighter’s son, Scott stated, “I can tell you that there are a lot of fire stations that predate my administration that we as a city have to prioritize.”
The budget’s completion will result in wage increases for the city’s more than 2,000 employees, including police and fire personnel, for 2025.
The wage raise is 1.75% for all full-time, non-uniformed city employees.
Employees’ first paycheck in 2025 should reflect the increased rise since the vote did pass with an emergency order to enact the budget.
