CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) — Cranston firefighters have exceeded their overtime budgets by an average of $1.5 million annually over the past decade, a longstanding pattern that is helping fuel the city’s worsening fiscal picture.
The departmental overspending stands out as a major cost driver in a city currently facing a $10.5 million operating deficit. To close the budget gap, Mayor Ken Hopkins has proposed eliminating senior services, rolling back school funding and cutting dozens of jobs as part of a savings plan that is still evolving.
The Fire Department, which a Hopkins aide said is fully staffed, would see the largest annual increase in the budget, driven largely by its overtime budget growing 40% from $4.5 million to $6.3 million…