Crime & Safety

O'Fallon Fire District Offers Buyouts to Trim Budget

The district currently employees 61, nine of whom are chiefs or department heads.

After an audit found the O'Fallon Fire District to be "top heavy," the district is offering buyouts to 10 of its top officers, who have a combined total income of $910,000, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Friday.

The ten offered buyouts ($1,000 per year of service and medical benefits for the employee and dependents for two years) include:

  • Chief Mike Ballmann
  • Division Chief Randy Sanders 
  • Division Chief Ken Vomund 
  • Chief Administrative Officer Scott Avery 
  • Financial Director Robert Cerrano 
  • Fire Marshal Mark Morrison 
  • Fire Inspector Kay Lee Ellison
  • Battalion Chief Mel Emge 
  • Battalion Chief Charles McCoy
  • Battalion Chief Mark Stenger

Attorney Neil Bruntrager told the Post that he hopes the buyout deal is accepted by three of employees. If none of them do, the district could be facing some tough decisions, he said.

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