LAS VEGAS -- North Las Vegas firefighters say they will agree to the city's contract demands if there is a guarantee to prevent layoffs. The North Las Vegas city manager says he can't give a guarantee because it could bankrupt the city.
A few days ago, the North Las Vegas City Council gave the city manager emergency powers to break union contracts. The two sides are at a stalemate.
The firefighters union told the I-Team last week they agreed to all of the city's demands to give up pay raises and certain benefits and they put it in writing Monday. City Manager Tim Hacker says guarantees, given in previous years, have nearly bankrupted the city.
"Our reserves are gone," said Hacker.
The union president for the International Association of Firefighters Local 1285 says layoffs could result in longer response times which could put lives in danger.
"Because we're already short-staffed 28 people. We lost 28 personnel last year, we have them leaving by the truckloads this year. We have people that have flown up to northern Nevada and they're leaving, as we speak," union president Jeff Hurtley said.
The first week of July is crucial for North Las Vegas because that is when the city gets its quarterly tax numbers. An increase will give the city budget some breathing room but a decrease could plunge North Las Vegas into even deeper cuts.
July 1 is the also the expected date of a lawsuit from the public employees union. There are no scheduled contract negotiations between that union and the city manager.
