When there is talk of cutting costs in Bellevue, the police and fire departments are obvious targets. The borough, which covers just one square mile and has a population of 8,770, has a relatively large police department and three paid firefighter positions. Swissvale is the only other comparable Allegheny County municipality with paid firefighters. “We are one of the few places of this size in the state that has paid firefighters,” Councilman Joe Scioscia said. Scioscia proposed cutting the borough’s payroll as an alternative to a recently approved $6.7 million bond issue, to be used for street and sewer repairs. He still wants to reduce the payroll, namely by getting rid of paid firefighters in favor of an all-volunteer department. The borough could save about $130,000 annually by eliminating the three paid firefighter positions, council President Patrick Miller said. Miller concedes that “having paid firefighters is better for public safety because response time is quicker. But the expense may turn out to be a luxury that we can no longer afford.” The borough currently has two paid firefighters. One declined to comment, and the other could not be reached. The third firefighter position is vacant. Abolishing paid firefighters likely would require a voter referendum, borough Manager David Golebiewski said. “Our solicitor has advised us against eliminating paid firefighters without having a referendum,” he said. May is the earliest date that a referendum could be placed on the ballot. Five years ago, a referendum to merge Bellevue’s and Avalon’s police departments failed. But Mayor Paul Cusick and other Bellevue officials are talking about the idea again. Combining the two departments would save the borough about $250,000 each year, Miller said. Under the present police arrangement, Bellevue and Avalon, which cover just 1.6 square miles combined, each must have at least two police officers on duty at all times. Bellevue has 13 police officers. “That does seem like overmanned for such a small area that has minimal demand for police services,” Golebiewski said.

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