Sacramento City Council to Examine Proposed Budget

The Sacramento City Council gets its first chance today to dive into a proposed budget that would cut nearly 100 police officers and firefighters, the most severe cutbacks ever to the city's public safety ranks.

As part of a plan to fill a $15.7 million deficit for the fiscal year beginning July 1, City Manager John Shirey has proposed laying off 62 firefighters and 34 police officers. Another 10 employees in the Police Department would also lose their jobs.

The City Council will not vote tonight on whether to follow through with the cuts but is likely to provide feedback and direction on the plan. The budget is scheduled to be adopted next month.

Cuts to the parks department are also scheduled to be discussed tonight.

The cuts to public safety could be avoided if the unions representing those workers agreed to pick up the entirety of the employee share of their California Public Employees' Retirement System pension contributions.

Shirey has made pensions a budget priority since taking office last year. He agreed to pay 7 percent of his salary toward his retirement when he was hired -- a first for a Sacramento city manager -- and has persuaded other top management and the City Council to do the same.

City police officers do not pay any part of their pensions. In addition to an employer share, the city also picks up 9 percent of police officers' salaries for an employee contribution to CalPERS.

Firefighters have agreed to contribute 6 percent of their salaries toward their pensions beginning in January, leaving the city to pick up the remainder of the contribution -- 3.81 percent of salary -- for those workers. Shirey wants firefighters to make the entire 9.81 percent employee contribution starting in July.

Most other rank-and-file employees in the city contribute 4 percent of their salaries toward the employee share of their pensions. The city picks up the remaining 3 percent.

Cuts to the Fire Department will be discussed during a 2 p.m. council session. The police budget is scheduled for the council's 6 p.m. meeting.

Sacramento Area Fire Fighters Local 522, which represents city firefighters, has presented a revenue plan to city budget officials and the City Council that the union said could avoid the roughly $4 million in cuts proposed for the Fire Department.

Union officials said as much as $4.8 million in new annual revenue could be generated by raising ambulance transport fees by $100 and expanding the city's fleet of ambulances. Fees charged for typical ambulance transports by city crews are well below the regional average, union officials said.

The union also has requested that the city account for money linked to a state law taking effect later this year that will make it easier for cities to collect unpaid bills from ambulance transports of those on Medi-Cal. Union officials have asked that the city budget $1 million in revenue from that change during the upcoming fiscal year.

Even with the added revenue, union officials expect firefighter pensions to remain on the negotiating table. The fire union contract does not expire until the end of the year, but union officials said they would consider changes to their deal before July 1.

"We're willing to listen to proposals that benefit the city, but also the membership," said Ryan Henry, head of the city fire union.

Shirey said officials "are encouraged that the union is looking for cost-saving ideas."

Dustin Smith, the acting head of the Sacramento Police Officers Association, said Monday that his organization had talked to city labor negotiators as recently as Friday and would continue "off-the-record" talks.

"We've been working very hard with the city to reach some kind of an amicable solution," he said.

Last year, when the council voted to lay off dozens of police officers, an overflow crowd of cops and community leaders packed City Hall to protest the cuts. Smith isn't sure that scene will be repeated Tuesday.

"I don't know if our membership will show up in force if it doesn't seem to affect behavior," Smith said.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service