A heated battle in Albany as the common council debated the budget and passed some amendments, including a plan to add five firefighters to the city. Our Innae Park has more.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Heated words filled the common council chambers at Monday night's Albany Common Council meeting as they spent hours discussing the 2012 fiscal year budget and how they wanted to change it.

Ultimately the council approved it, 12 to 3, along with three amendments, one of which would provide for five more firefighters in the city.

Albany Fire Union President Andrew Hirsch said, “We're at the bare bones with 240, well, really we're at 235 right now.”

The plan in Mayor Jerry Jennings’ budget would have upped overtime for the city's department by $300,000, an idea strongly opposed by much of the council. However, firefighters say this change is for the better. “We didn't want the money to go into overtime, I've stated that when I had the chance to talk to Mr. Sano, is that it would be better served to hire personnel.”

The uniformed men and women also won another battle since a resolution that would mandate newly retired firefighters and police officers to contribute to health insurance failed in a vote.

Councilmember Frank Commisso Jr. was one of the sponsors, and he says it is unfair to other public and private sector employees who do pay.”There's a silent majority in the city of Albany out there that understand this will not be able to go on going forward and at some point, we'll be looking at a situation where we override the tax cap in order to finance the structural deficit in our budget.”

When asked if there was any area that could be cut further in the fire department, Hirsch responded, “I don’t see it.”

The other amendments that passed include cutting the pay of crossing guards by lowering the minimum hours they must work and keeping the anti-crime program SNUG alive by matching the funds the state has already promised. Council President Carolyn McLaughlin urged councilmembers to call the Mayor’s Office Tuesday to show their support for SNUG, in fear that the Mayor will opt to veto the amendment.