City, fire district consider administrative cutbacks

Changes in leadership coupled with high-ranking personnel cuts are under consideration this month by both the City of Anderson and Anderson Fire Protection District (AFPD) board. Both agencies are making strides to promote a lower-level manager to chief or director while resolving to cut any vacated positions.

"We have too much overhead. It's just like the city," AFPD board chairman Keith Webster said following a fire district meeting Aug. 11, referring to the Anderson Assistant City Manager position left vacant when Dana Shigley was promoted to acting city manager.

"A window of opportunity occurred that enabled us to do these things," Shigley said of her recommendation to the city council to cut the assistant city manager position. "This sort of thing is done all the time."

Work done by the assistant city manager, including grant writing and Anderson Redevelopment Agency work could be split among other departments, Shigley said, with new Public Works Director Jeff Kiser managing redevelopment projects.

"Kiser is up for it," agreed Webster, who also serves on Anderson's City Council. "It's the same as the fire district. The captains want to do more."

While aiming to provide the same level of service to the city without an assistant city manager position, the redistribution of work among city officials would be softened, Shigley said, since the city's previous Public Works Director was sick for almost a year before retiring.

Also, city officials have less work to do in the current economic slump, she said.

City council members later agreed in closed session on Aug. 18 that Dana Shigley should take on the city manager's title.

Shigley previously said that the assistant city manager position she occupied could remain vacant, saving the city about $90,000 per year. By hiring an additional clerk, the city's net savings would be about $60,000, councilman Webster figured.

Squarly facing the potential for city redevelopment funds to be taken by state officials to balance California's budget, Shigley said saving money is good for the city.

Meanwhile, the fire district board has not yet settled on its new chief and board members Paul Bosetti and Webster are each in favor of hiring in-house.

The board recently awarded Fire Marshall/Battalion Chief Howard Fincher a 30-day trial period as acting fire chief. The board may decide on either Fincher or Deputy Chief Andy Nichols to head the district at a Sept. 14 district meeting.

Fincher has already started training other fire captains on conducting safety inspections of businesses.

"Howard is taking captains along with him on inspections so they can learn the job," Webster said.

Should Nichols or Fincher be promoted, the district may divide their chores among the three district captains. One possible scenario has each captain assuming a different title such as medical director, a hazardous materials director or an equipment/maintenance director, Nichols said.

Such changes could save the fire district nearly $70,000 and enable the district to hire additional firefighters, Webster said.