Montgomery Firefighters Push for 10% Pay Raise as Budget Debate Intensifies
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WAKA) — The debate over firefighter pay continued Tuesday at Montgomery’s City Council meeting, where firefighters again urged city leaders to include raises in next year’s budget.
It was the second consecutive council meeting where members of Montgomery Fire Rescue publicly pressed for higher wages. Lt. John Norris, speaking on behalf of his colleagues, asked city leaders to approve a 10% raise, citing vacancies, high overtime costs, and recruitment challenges.
“Right now we are carrying around 50 vacancies,” Norris said. “To cover those shifts the city will spend around $7 million in overtime this year. Overtime may keep the trucks rolling, but it’s expensive, it drains morale, and it puts tired firefighters back on the street.”
The city’s 2025 budget included a 15% pay raise for police officers and a 5% cost-of-living adjustment for other city employees. Firefighters had a pay increase in the 2022 budget.
“The most cost-effective staffing plan is to keep the firefighters we already have. said Norris. “Only 32% of our personnel actually live in the City Of Montgomery. Nearly 70% commute from outside the city. That shows cost of living is not what actually drives firefighters to come and work here. When Birmingham pays around $60,000, Huntsville around $57,000, and Mobile around $55,000, we are having trouble competing.”
Council President C.C. Calhoun said the issue is complicated by competing needs across city departments.
“They work tirelessly in the City of Montgomery,” Calhoun said. “But you know, when we look at pay raises across the board, we did it last year for MPD, and I think that’s where they’re coming from because they feel like they are public safety. But right now, I just don’t see that in the budget. We can look at it from a council standpoint, and if we can help them, we will help them. But does sanitation come next? We’ve got to look at it and be good stewards on how we’re going to address these issues.”
District 8 Councilman Glenn Pruitt expressed more direct support.
“Somebody is breaking in your house, you want the police to show up. If you’re having a heart attack, you want the fire department to show up,” Pruitt said. “They’re both invaluable. They deserve it. They’re overworked, they’re underpaid … and I think we’ll see that there’s money in the budget to make something happen.”
The City Council will hold a budget hearing Sept. 9 to debate proposed 2026 budget items, including this issue, expanding security cameras citywide, and installing a new communication system for the Montgomery Police Department. The proposed $353.2 million spending plan is the largest in the city’s history.
To see the City of Montgomery’s proposed budget for FY 2026 click here.
