Politics & Government

More Cuts on Horizon at City Tackles Budget at Today's Workshop

Looking for ways to cut $1.6 million from 2012-13 budget

Today the city will hold a budget workshop to discuss how it can eliminate $1.6 million from next year’s budget. The meeting starts at 3:30pm at City Hall.

Last month, City Manager John Brown asked all departments to come up with 5 percent reductions to be in place by July 1. The most controversial of these has been Interim Police Chief’s Dan Fish’s proposal to eliminate two animal control officers from the animal shelter. Under the plan, all calls regarding animals—aggressive dogs, dog bites and dead animals—would now be handled by police officers.

The proposed cuts have led some to question top managers’ overall compensation as inappropriately high at a time of economic difficulty.

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But the city's human resources department says Brown's salary--$208,000 a year-- has not increased since he was hired in 2008. Instead, Pamala Stephens, the city's HR manager, attribute the increase to a 3.1 percent pay cut all city employees took when they went on furlough on January 1, 2010 that has since expired.

According to the city, Chief Fish only received a pay bump of 6.6 percent in 2009 after he was promoted from captain to interim police chief.

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Stephens also says the city now has to pay more into the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) account for each employee as well as pay higher healthcare costs.

Today's meeting starts at 3:30pm

Are you concerned about city expenses? Where would you make the cuts?


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