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Baton Rouge Fire seeking raise for firefighters through millage on November election ballot
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BATON ROUGE - A raise for Baton Rouge firefighters is on the ballot for East Baton Rouge voters to consider next month.
The ballot measure comes after the metro council shot down tax increases and decided not to roll a millage forward for the department and several other agencies last month.
Firefighters are now leaving the decision in the public's hands.
Jake Morgan, the president of the Baton Rouge Firefighters Association, told WBRZ that they hope the public votes to approve because he worries about the negative outcome if they do not.
"We have not asked the public for new millage money in 24 years it is not something we just take lightly and know we are asking the public to bail us out on this," Morgan said.
The proposed property tax is expected to collect more than $14 million annually over the next decade. It is planned to go directly towards the salaries and benefits of the Baton Rouge Fire Department. Morgan said Baton Rouge firefighters currently make $33,207 a year.
If the tax is approved, starting pay would increase to around $40,000 a year.
"Our firefighters are underpaid this measure would bring us up to the industry standard pay if it fails I do fear we would start losing firefighters chasing better pay," Morgan said.
Morgan said if they do not get the raises, not only does he worry firefighters will leave, but that it would cause a butterfly effect that would cause the department fire rating to drop increasing property insurance.
"Firefighters we respond to everything in the parish when it comes to an emergency whether it fires vehicle wrecks, medical calls, rescue calls, we go on everything, and we're fortunate to have good manpower in the city of Baton Rouge for the fire service," Morgan said.
Metro Council member Rowdy Gaudet, who is one of the council members who voted for a tax increase back in September, said he is against the millage being added to the ballot in its current form.
"My interest was that we can take a more comprehensive approach and do a ballot initiative, a millage to voters in the near future that encompass more than just salaries for the Baton Rouge fire department," Gaudet said.
Morgan told WBRZ the current wording for the ballot is going to confuse the public, saying it is vague in its description of the change. He wants the public to know that the vote is at the bottom of the ballot and it does not say fire department raises in the headline.
Morgan said voters need to look for the proposition that says "The City of Baton Rouge, 6 mills."
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