Election Day is next week and this year Dayton voters will consider a measure allowing city firefighters to volunteer in other communities.
The city charter currently bars city employees from working for other jurisdictions.
Issue 15 was proposed by Dayton City Commissioners Matt Joseph and Chris Shaw.
Shaw says the rule change is needed to allow the city to compete for federal firefighting grants.
“We are at bare bones. I mean, we have really had to scale back, both in terms of staffing and services rendered," he says. "So, we have to be able to apply for these grants. It frees up monies for equipment and other things that we need and it can only help the service that we provide for the city.”
If voters approve Issue 15, Dayton would be eligible to apply for a 2020 so-called federal SAFER grant.
The Dayton Fire Department currently operates with more than 175 firefighters and has a 2019 operating budget of $42,043,800.
