The city received the grant again in 2014, and it funded 13 positions but did not cover overtime, equipment or hiring costs that had previously been covered by the first grant, according to a city staff report.
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Conflict arose in May 2017Â when the grant funding dried out, and instead of reapplying months earlier, the city reverted to its plan to eliminate Engine 4, according to the staff report. Doing so would save the city an estimated $1.56 million per year, according to a staff report to the council.
The city and the West Covina Firefighters’ Association could not agree on a new staffing model — the city had proposed eliminating six vacant positions and demoting three captains and three engineers — so the two sides entered arbitration with the California Public Employment Relations Board.