ST. LOUIS — One of the three fire houses in East St. Louis has temporarily closed.
Nine firefighters will be laid off due to the closure.
According to a press release, the closure is a direct result of East St. Louis’ state revenues being intercepted by the Illinois State Comptroller’s Office and redirected to the public safety pensions.
“This is a very difficult decision that had to be made in order to sustain City operations for the next few months. Unfortunately, with 100% of the City’s state revenues being redirected to the police and fire pensions, we are faced with the difficult task of strategically reducing some services in order to continue to meet our financial obligations for the next few months,” stated City Manager Brooke Smith. “In addition to the temporary closure of the fire house, the City has placed a freeze on hiring and may be faced with making additional cuts in other departments in the near future.”
On Sept. 26, East St. Louis received its first Notice of Deductions from the Illinois State Comptroller’s Office, signaling the beginning of its state revenues being intercepted and redirected to the public safety pensions to satisfy a combined debt of approximately $3.9 million.
Engine house No. 425 at 1700 Central Avenue will temporarily close on Nov. 1. East St. Louis’ other two fire houses will remain open and operate as normal.
A spokesperson said East St. Louis may continue to reduce services in order to operate. The city will continue to update the public on any changes that will take place.
