NEWBURGH – The Newburgh City Council continues to wrestle with the dilemma of how to save 12 firefighters slated to lose their jobs this summer when a federal grant expires.
Discussions have noted that if lawmakers use part of a $500,000 county sales tax boost to save them would just delay the inevitable. The council members have discussed applying for a third round of the so-called federal SAFER grant to pay for the first responders, but that is an iffy situation.
Councilman Jonathan Jacobson shed a glimmer of hope on the issue at Monday night’s city council session.
“We are coming, I believe, to a resolution to the firemen. I think we are going to be able pay for a good number of them with our money as well as get a grant from the federal government. We are working very hard on that and I think we are going to have a resolution very soon on that.”
Jacobson said he would like the city to apply for a third round of the SAFER grant next month.
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