Question of the Week: Budget vs. Safety

On its face, the question of how many firefighters a town needs seems like a simple equation that the City Manager or Fire Chief could figure out on a napkin, but with Council debate delving into details like how many times a piece of equipment on a certain rig was used in a year, it was made clear how complicated the issue really is. Bring in factors of political loyalties and upcoming City Council elections, and you've got yourself a confusing situation.

For months the Santee City Council has grappled with the question of that were enabled by money given to the city during the ramp up to the failed - firefighters that were added in expectation of a serious population jump in the city.

They originally debated, and seemed to have settled the matter and not kept the positions, when the - though continued closed session meetings with the Firefighters Association deemed that unlikely.

The issue was and was the main topic of debate at the meetings until they .

I'm keeping these poll answers simple, yes, no or I don't know, so that you can elaborate in the comments. Let us know what you think about emergency safety and budgets in Santee.

Have a poll idea to pitch?  Shoot us a note at steven.bartholow@patch.com

Have more to say, or would you choose an option not available? Post a comment. And, feel free to vote in previous polls, which can be found below.