Fri Feb 10 2012
by Jeff Saunders
Reporter
Macedonia — The city police department would be the primary target of employee layoffs if City Council chooses to trim this year’s budget by as much as $1 million under plans the administration presented to Council Feb. 25.
The 2010 budget must be finalized by the end of March. Until then, the city is operating on a temporary budget Council approved at the end of December. Council asked Mayor Don Kuchta Feb. 23 to provide options for 10- and 5-percent cuts from the budget now under consideration by Council (See related story).
Proposed layoffs include as many as four of the city’s 23 full-time police officers and all four of the part-time jailers.
Police Lt. Vince Yakopovich said the cuts could mean each 12-hour shift would drop from to two to three officers on patrol. The department currently deploys three or four officers.
He said losing the jailers means officers who normally would be on patrol would have to staff the jail.
Yakopovich said that with increased development over the years, “the city is busier than it used to be.”
At the beginning of 2009, he said, the department wanted to increase its roster by three full-time officers, but a tight city budget prevented that. Now, with the possibility of losing several officers, law enforcement could suffer a “profound effect.”
“Obviously it’s going to be huge and detrimental,” said Yakopovich. “It’s going to significantly cut down on patrols and response times are going to get longer.”
Councilor Jan Tulley, who chairs Council’s finance committee, said Council will discuss the budget and the proposed cuts at its March 4 committee meeting.
“We don’t want to do layoffs, but if more cuts are needed, there’s not much else to look at,” she said.
Kuchta said that the city made numerous cuts without layoffs last year totaling about $1.2 million, including the $500,000 road paving program, which was also canceled this year. Kuchta said this year’s budget is bare bones and agreed that any significant additional cuts would have to include layoffs.
“We really have nothing left, but to cut people,” he said. “It’s a horrible choice no matter how you look at it.”
Council requested the 10- and 5-percent options out of concern voters may not approve a 4-mill operating levy scheduled for the May primary election, as well as falling income tax revenue.
Kuchta said that although cuts were presented as 5- and 10-percent options, Council is free to choose whatever cuts it wants.
“They will decide if it is all of the above, none of the above or some of the above,” he said.
The city has placed a 4-mill, five-year replacement property tax levy on the May 4 ballot, which is expected to generate about $1.41 million in new, beginning in 2011. It would replace an existing 5-mill, five year levy, which voters first approved in 1962 and generates about $528,000 annually.
Tax receipts still dropping
City officials say that they hope the levy, if approved this year, will stave off a need to make cuts. That need may become even more crucial as the year goes on because income tax receipts have been falling since 2007 and the decline appears to be continuing.
According to the city finance department, income tax receipts have decreased from about $7.6 million in 2007 to about $5.9 million in 2009.
Sengstock said income tax receipts for the first two months of the year were $880,000 — down about $127,000, or about 12.6 percent when compared to the same time a year ago.
Council members also say that in light of the lower collections and uncertainties over the levy, they need to consider cuts this year.
“The 2010 budget needs to be approached as if the levy doesn’t exist,” said Tulley. “We have to base it on worst case.”
Council President Dave Engle said that if cuts are needed, it is best to make them as early in the year as possible because a delay means a larger cut may be needed toward the end of the year.
“The later we make these cuts, the harder it is to make these cuts because a 2.5-percent cut in January is a 5-percent cut in June,” said Engle.
E-mail: jsaunders@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3169
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