Representatives of Bend’s firefighter union will meet Bend officials today to begin negotiations for a new contract that could have long-term budgetary impacts for the city.

The Bend Firefighters Association represents about 70 fire and ambulance personnel. Much of the money that supports those employees comes from the city’s beleaguered general fund, which also pays for police, street maintenance and code enforcement.

Firefighter Association Vice President Patricia Connolly said the city and the union still need to set the ground rules for the contract negotiations. That includes a decision on whether the talks will be held behind closed doors. She also said it’s too soon to say what new benefits, such as pay raises, the union the will seek during negotiations.

“At the moment we’re still collecting some information,” Connolly said. “Right now things are just in the discussion phase with the city and our body.”

Bend Human Resources Manager Rob DuValle said today’s meeting is largely logistical, and will likely involve setting a schedule for the negotiations. No proposals will be exchanged, he said.

Over the past two years, city officials have been looking for ways to support police and firefighters without sacrificing other services. It even formed a committee to generate ideas.

When the Bend City Council adopted its biennial budget last June, it agreed to use a large portion of the fire department’s reserves during the next two years in order to avoid job cuts. Fire Chief Larry Huhn, meanwhile, has tried to reduce the amount of overtime pay his department accrues.

The fire department is expected to deplete its reserves over the next several years even though the city’s property tax revenues have topped expectations. Huhn and others have said the continued funding shortfall is particularly worrisome because it limits his department’s staffing, leading to slower responses to emergencies.

Bend Mayor Jeff Eager has said he’d like to rein in the city’s personnel costs. During budget talks last year, he pushed to have those ever-growing expenditures linked to city revenues, which were largely stagnant by comparison.

Eager said he understands that the firefighters association already has made several concessions to save the city money, including a voluntary switch to a high deductible health insurance plan and an agreement not to take a pay raise this year. Even so, he said that doesn’t change the financial reality of the city.

“I recognize and appreciate the concessions the firefighters have made over the past couple years, but unfortunately the economy and the budget have not improved markedly since those concessions were made,” Eager said. “I’m hopeful that the city and the firefighters union can reach an agreement that recognizes the strains within the city’s budget and the generally difficult economy in Bend right now.”

He added that he hopes the negotiations remain open because he believes citizens have a “right to know” what happens during discussions that determine how their dollars are being used.

The current contract with the Bend Firefighters Association expires on June 30. If the city and union can’t come to an agreement, an arbitrator will step in. The city’s other two unions, including the Bend Police Association, are not scheduled for contract negotiations until 2013.