Harvey mayor responds after 69 city employees furloughed amid financial strain
As the city of Harvey continues to face a financial strain, it has temporarily furloughed nearly half of their city employees while it hopes to get the situation under control.
The 69 employees who were temporarily furloughed included police, firefighters, and other public workers.
Mayor Christopher Clark, as well as the chiefs of the city's fire and police departments, said that it will still be business as usual in the city, despite these furloughs. Emergencies, they say, will still be responded to, though some who actually answer those calls for help are worried for their safety and for the safety of the people who live in Harvey.
"We're going to have fewer firemen on scene to operate the tools to remove people from you know, crash, cars, or do extraction," Harvey Fire Lieutenant Keith Freeman said.
Freeman is in his sixth year working at the fire department in Harvey, a city where he says experiences a lot of structure fires compared to other places. He said they've been functioning with the minimum number of people necessary to fight fires and to do so safely.
"We had about 50 or 40% reduction in our workforce. I think it was 17 or 19 guys that have been cut and they're not going to be receiving any benefits or pay at all," Freeman said.
"If we were to get a $30 million you know influx from the state, everyone would come back today," Clark said.
The mayor said he inherited a city in a deep financial hole in 2019.
"When I took office, we were facing $164 million worth of debt from the previous administration," he said.
Now, the city is relying on its neighboring municipalities to help respond to emergencies.
"Although we have a reduction in our workforce, we still have auto aid agreements with the surrounding communities that will come and assist us," Harvey Fire Chief Howard Fisher said.
The Harvey Police Department will operate with 11 fewer sworn officers and without eight other in-house staff members. Furloughed employees are set to earn one last paycheck before they lose pay and medical benefits at the end of October.
"Someone's going to answer the phone, officers are going to respond, and they're going to do their jobs," Harvey Police Chief Cameron Biddings said.
The Cook County Sheriff's Department has given 12 officers on loan to the city, and they are currently working to help keep people safe.
When asked when he anticipates another round of furloughs, Clark said he didn't believe more jobs would be at risk, and said he would do his best, but couldn't guarantee it.