Staff Writer

Fire and emergency services personnel from across Delaware County plan to attend Wednesday's Board of Supervisors meeting to protest possible cuts to their department, officials said.

Fire chiefs and workers from the county's 30 departments have been asked to go to the 1 p.m. meeting to say the cuts are too much, said Stephen B. Finch, chairman of the county's Fire Advisory Board.

"We'd really like to put the proposed cuts back into the budget," Finch said. "The cuts, they may not seem like a lot, but they are."

Finch said when the Emergency Services Department submitted its $183,000 budget proposal to the board, it had $5,000 less in expenditures than the 2002 budget. The board then cut $13,000 from the proposal, Finch said.

"It's been cut across the board," he said. "This could be devastating."

The board also did not approve $9,000 for the software and technical upgrades to the county's fire reporting equipment, Finch said.

Board Chairman James Eisel, Harpersfield supervisor, said the county had to cut from all departments, not just emergency services.

"I think everyone needs to understand that there is going to be some unpleasantries and some requests denied," Eisel said. "We're going to hold tight reigns on all departments."

Board members cut Delaware County's tax levy increase from 19.42 to 15.29 percent during a three-hour meeting last week.

The board has been struggling to keep the tax hike down in a budget that has to include increasing Medicaid and other health-care costs.

In October, the board approved a hiring freeze on employees, eliminated travel to conferences and seminars, and forbade the purchase of new equipment.

Finch said the cuts to emergency services could be detrimental to services. They could cause the department to lose a part-time position to work on the 911 database, he said.

"That' crucial to keep that database up to date," he said, noting that if the cuts are approved, training for workers could also be pared.

Eisel said, although the budget is not final yet, it will inevitably include cuts.

"No one likes to have their budget cut," he said. "But they don't like paying the higher taxes."