BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Bethlehem’s 2026 budget passed Tuesday in a 5-2 vote, with Councilmembers Bryan Callahan and Grace Crampsie Smith voting “no.”
Neither Callahan nor Crampsie Smith said they could support a budget that does not fund additional firefighters, which they said the city is seriously lacking.
“I’m very disappointed with the outcome of the whole situation,” Callahan said. “I find it unbelievable that the administration and this council could not find (the money) to fund four firefighters for the last six months of the year, at a minimum.”
“I cannot vote for a budget that fails to address the public safety crisis of not adequately staffing our fire department,” Crampsie Smith said.
Crampsie Smith previously submitted budget amendments offering alternatives that would fund additional firefighters, but those proposals were voted down during earlier budget hearings.
Fire Chief Matthew Griffin has stated that the department is staffed to its budgeted complement of 106 firefighters, but remains concerned about overtime. The city is pursuing a comprehensive study to analyze call volume and staffing and paramedic responses, with officials noting staffing is only one component of that review.
Bethlehem IAFF Local 735 President Lou Jimenez said understaffing is a public safety issue and pointed to IAFF standards.
“The standards don’t work selectively,” Jimenez said.
Public comment Tuesday included repeated remarks about firefighter staffing.
For instance, fire engines are staffed with three firefighters, while ladder trucks are staffed with two. A higher-ranking officer is currently overseeing three stations, including the Northwest station on Catasauqua Avenue, when there should be one officer assigned to each station, Jimenez said.
According to the proposed 2026 budget, the city spent approximately $1.2 million on firefighter overtime in 2024. Overtime spending for 2025 is projected at $500,000.
During Bethlehem City Council’s meeting, city officials and residents addressed the evacuation of unhoused individuals from Norfolk Southern-owned land.
In other business, the city administration addressed Tuesday’s evacuation of unhoused individuals from Norfolk Southern-owned land. Railroad police, along with Bethlehem police, cleared the encampment.