Sat Jul 31 2010
by Eric Marotta and Jeff Saunders
Editor and Reporter
Macedonia -- The city will lay off four police officers, the fire department will return to four-person shifts and the recreation center will close on weekends, after Council's Finance Committee asked the administration to cut more than $1 million from its $10.6 million general fund budget proposal.
"Council, as the bank, needs to look at the fact that we no longer have any money to give to you," Councilor Jan Tulley, who chairs the committee, told about a dozen city employees who attended the meeting.
Mayor Don Kuchta said he has no choice but to follow Council's directions on spending, as Council, by law, sets the budget. Kuchta added he agrees with Council it is important to make the cuts now, as there is no guarantee voters will approve a 4-mill operating levy in May.
"There's a possibility the levy can fail," Kuchta told the News Leader March 5. "If the levy fails, we need to cut money now."
But Kuchta also said passage of the levy won't necessarily restore the cuts.
"This levy isn't something that is additional. This is to keep the doors open and the lights on," he said.
Council members ordered the cuts at their March 4 finance committee meeting. Under state law, the permanent budget must be approved by the end of March. Council plans to finalize the budget March 25.
Under the plan, six full-time and 16 part-time workers will be laid off: The police department will lose four full-time officers and four part-time jailers; the service department will lose the full-time assistant service director and seven part-time workers, and the recreation center will lose one full-time and five part-time workers.
The fire department will cut firefighter hours, reducing shifts from five- to four-firefighters on staff.
In addition to laying off six workers and closing on Saturday and Sunday, the rec center plans to eliminate all fitness programming and contracted services.
Kuchta said the layoffs would become effective next month.
"April 1 would be the day the axe falls," he said.
Out of the five Councilors present at the March 4 meeting, only two said they oppose making the cuts.
Councilor Ken Martin said he does not believe that cuts should be "across the board" and he wanted cuts in the city's police and fire departments to be the last ones made.
"You can't make cuts like that. You have to prioritize," he said.
Councilor Mike Miller said that as an alternative to layoffs, he would prefer 20 percent cuts in employee hours.
The committee spent about an hour reviewing department budgets to see where savings could be found, but agreed to stick with the administration's proposal.
Officials said voters will have to approve the May levy in order to avoid more extreme cuts in service.
And, according to Council President David Engle, the cuts being made next month are going to have to stand for the year, regardless of whether the levy is approved.
"These cuts would not be impacted by the levy," Engle said.
"We need more money to provide the base service," Finance Director Loren Sengstock said. "We're not talking about extra service."
Officials say the city has cut spending for the past two years as income tax revenue has declined from $7.6 million in 2007 to $5.9 million in 2009.
E-mail: emarotta@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3171
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