MANTECA — Manteca firefighters have offered to cut more than $1 million from their already approved contract to help with the city’s $11 million deficit.

Working with the firefighters’ union, interim Fire Chief Kirk Waters said his staff understood the city’s predicament. He said fire officials agreed to give up 4 percent of their cost-of-living raise for an overall savings of $135,000, reduce overtime to save $280,000 and reorganize the command structure to save $650,000.

“We’re team players,” Waters said. “We’ve been working on this for a while, and now we’re ready to roll it out. We’re just trying to do what we can to be cost-effective and help the budget deficit.”

The biggest change to the contract is the reorganization plan, which goes before the Manteca City Council on Tuesday, June 16. The proposal will change the command structure with the elimination of the four division chiefs.

The division chiefs will be replaced by three shift commanders on 24-hour shifts who will be based inside the fire stations, and by one deputy chief to perform administrative duties for the fire prevention bureau, Waters said. The public safety sales tax committee has approved the reorganization, according to fire officials.

“We haven’t grown that much over the years, so the cuts we made had to be a collaboration between myself and the union,” Waters said.

He said he’s aware other city departments are working to cut their budgets, too.

Councilwoman Debby Moorhead reacted to the proposal by saying, “It’s great. I’m glad to see they are proactive. I am really happy to see that all city staff, all department heads, are all working very hard to cut costs.

“My biggest thing is that I do not ever have to see people get laid off. I want to see everybody work together to cut costs wherever we can. Cut any fat we can.”

However, exactly how the fire department’s plan will impact the overall city deficit has yet to be outlined by city officials, but it should cut the $11 million deficit.

• Contact reporter Denise Ellen Rizzo at 239-6351, ext. 304, or denise@sunpost.net.