City Council votes in staffing freeze

The $5 million in budget cuts approved by the City Council on Tuesday night, including a freeze on filling 70 job vacancies, will cut into programs and services for residents, City Manager Allan Roeder said.

With Councilman Gary Monahan absent, the council voted 4 to 0 to authorize spending cuts and look at saving money in other areas.

Among them is a freeze on all capital improvements projects; a review of reserves in the equipment replacement fund; a moratorium on implementing new programs and services, and expanding existing ones; and a moratorium on new projects requiring support from the General Fund, the city’s day-to-day operations budget.

The hiring freeze exempts police patrol vacancies, as needed, and those needed to meet sworn firefighter minimum manning levels.

The $5 million in savings will go toward closing a $9-million budget gap. The city has identified an additional $300,000 in savings, which would leave a deficit of $3.7 million, Roeder said Wednesday.

If the city cannot find other ways to trim from its $95.9-million spending plan, then it will cover the $3.7-million gap by dipping into its reserves.

“Certainly, staff and management equate staffing reduction as service reduction,” Roeder said. “Most of the services we provide require some staffing.”

The council’s vote also directed city staff to explore talks with the employee associations on whether wages and benefits can be re-negotiated, as well as place an initiative on the November ballot to increase hotel and the business license taxes.

Recently, the city renegotiated janitor contracts, which reduced the level of cleaning service in the city and its facilities.

Mayor Allan Mansoor suggested the city should find other ways to cut back on cleaning services, such as street sweeping.

Councilwoman Wendy Leece asked staff to take a look at scaling back on police helicopter flight hours.