Bethel moves to repay firefighters shorted on their pay

Bethel's firefighters are owed back pay, and the city is moving to make it right. A payroll review found the department's firefighters weren't getting the paid time off — known as Kelly Days — that their schedule is supposed to include, even though they were being paid at the lower hourly rate that time off is meant to offset. In other words, they were shorted on both ends.

City Manager Lori Strickler introduced an ordinance to fix it, saying the goal is simply to make the affected firefighters "whole for earned Kelly Days that were not received." The correction doesn't require new money — the city is shifting existing funds within the fire department's own budget to cover what's owed for the past year.

The council takes it up July 14, with a public hearing set for later this month.