City of East Point

Years of running in the red finally caught up with East Point recently. The council agreed, over the anxious objections of an often emotional crowd, to close two fire stations in order to move closer to a balanced budget. Officials estimated 65 firefighters will be let go. Another 35 city employees in other departments also stand to lose their jobs as the city tries to address an $8 million budget shortfall. The vote to close the fire stations was 7-1 with Marcel Reed opposed. The difficult decision leaves the city of 41,000 residents with three fire stations. East Point expects to save more than $3 million with the cuts.