Mid Hudson News
NEWBURGH – Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (D, NY18) visited the City of Newburgh Fire Department to announce that a portion of the federal SAFER Grant funds, awarded to the department two years ago that were being disputed by FEMA, have finally been secured. That means there will be no layoffs of firefighters.
The city’s fire department received $2.4 million through the grant program which is provided to fire departments in need of personnel funding. However, a dispute occurred between the city and the federal government. That’s when the congressman said his office stepped in. He got involved to resolve a dispute between the city and the federal government about $900,000 of the funding that was going to become unavailable.
“We have resolved that dispute; that money will come to the city. It will allow the city to continue to employ these firefighters through 2016, at least the first quarter of 2016, when we will be able, I believe, to continue the federal funding as part of a new grant cycle that will renew the initial grant, which means, that by bridging this gap and resolving this dispute, we should be able to fund these positions, essentially, indefinitely but, at least, for the next several years,” the Congressman said.
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