Mayor Tim Kelly’s Chief of Staff speaks on the process of potential CFD pay increase

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee- Under previous city mayor Andy Burke the Chattanooga Fire Department had an independent study was done that showed they were significantly underpaid compared to cities like Huntsville, Nashville, and Memphis.

“We also need to make sure that they’re paid competitively and when we look at other similar cities we had some issues there and we know that we need to make some corrections,” said Goldberg.

Kelly’s Chief of Staff Brent Goldberg said working with the City’s fire department is very important. The office is currently looking into what it can do with the city’s current budget.

“I’ve had a couple conversations with the president association since Tim Kelly took office and it’s all about communication and listening and making sure that we both understand where we are and how to get to a common solution that makes sense for the city,” said Goldberg.

He said the office wants to put the Chattanooga Fire Department in the best position to be able to serve the city.

“To make sure our firefighters are always safe before we talk about salaries we need to make sure They have all the equipment they need to be safe, to be properly trained, and to do the job they do,” said Goldberg.

Goldberg said a pay increase for the fire department does have to happen but it’s not an overnight process and there are steps that need to be made.

“They understand if this is something that cannot happen overnight and they are willing to find ways to do this over time. The key is that we have to have a plan in place that we communicate to everyone and set expectations for everyone because if we just increase the minimum pay and that’s not exactly fair for people who’ve been here for 20 years that are also in a pay range that’s not competitive,” said Goldberg.

He said a rise in taxes is a last resort and isn’t at a phase where they need to look to raise money.

“We don’t plan on doing anything to raise revenue right now. If there are things in the budget that can be repurposed for my return on investment for taxpayers we certainly want to do that before we start looking at any additional kind of revenue,” said Goldberg.

There is a meeting scheduled with the firefighters association for Monday to discuss options and where each side stands.