With city leaders talking budget cuts, some directors are considering cutting jobs.
Fire Chief Dave Roberts and Community Development Director Jerry Creel are talking about eliminating some posts to satisfy the City Council budget for the next fiscal year.
With a nearly $1.7 million reduction in public safety expenses, Roberts told the mayor's office he might have to cut as many as 18 firefighter positions for the next fiscal year and close two fire stations, said Vincent Creel, public affairs manager.
He said Mayor A.J. Holloway has reservations about the direction the council is moving on budget trimming for city departments.
"The mayor's concern is that the council is overestimating revenue and that they are underestimating the cost of providing services," he said.
Jerry Creel has already cut two positions to satisfy the request from the mayor's office that departmental budgets be scaled back, Vincent Creel said.
Under the council's proposed budget, the department will have to cut more jobs - but the number is undetermined at this point, Vincent Creel said. The council's draft budget would give community development $800,000 less this year.
Holloway has ordered all city departments to cut their budgets by 5 percent before they face the council about how they can trim their budget.
Council President Mike Fitzpatrick said the departments have historically not spent their entire budgets, so when the council made their budget, they took this into account and refigured so they could give all city employees a 2.5 percent pay raise and have more money for capital projects inside their wards.
He said the two directors have not been asked to cut any jobs, and have not appeared before the council. They are scheduled to appear on Thursday.
He said Roberts specifically is not being asked to cut jobs or his budget, but public safety is being asked to scale back its budget.
"I am not asking Roberts to trim back a dime. Nobody has asked him for a dime," Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick said the budget can be amended throughout the course of a year.
