About half of the total savings is expected to come from delaying improvement projects around the city. Some of the biggest projects that would be put on hold are the planned overhaul of the Joann Street Bike Trail, which runs along the Costa Mesa Golf Course, and the planned repaving of Red Hill Avenue and Bristol Street.
“[All of the projects] we have provided are things that we can live without for the next few months. These are generally projects that can wait,” said Public Services Director Peter Naghavi.
Staffing levels are also expected to be cut, although layoffs are not on the table yet, according to Finance Director Marc Puckett. The heads of various city departments have identified a number of positions that were vacated in previous months by resignations and retirements that the leaders think can remain vacant until the money is available to hire again.
The Police Department, for instance, has said that it could live without hiring two police officers, a crime scene specialist and a senior records officer — a savings of about $400,000 — in addition to a couple of other positions.
The number of patrol officers on the streets will not change, according to Sgt. Bryan Glass. Positions deemed to be necessary by the department will be filled with officers working overtime, Glass said, which will still cut costs because it eliminates the need to pay for health benefits and training for new officers.
Crime prevention programs would most likely be scaled back to save money, according to Glass.
“We will still have the same level of service and the same staffing out there. Programs outside of the basic responsibilities or expectations might be cut,” Glass said.
