Story posted Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Draft Budget Includes Police, Firefighter Firings
By CRAIG ADAMS Journal & Topics Reporter
Up to 20 employees of the city of Park Ridge, including several police officers and firefighters, could lose their jobs due to budget cuts. Several other vacant positions will remain unstaffed.
City Manager Jim Hock presented a draft budget on Saturday, Feb. 27 that included the possible cuts. The list includes three firefighters, four police officers, two community service police officers, and keeping the position of deputy police chief unfilled.
Additionally, the budget calls for cuts in several other departments. Public works would lose a maintenance worker, a pump station operator, and an administrative assistant. Also, the four positions left open from workers laid off last year when the union would not accept a wage freeze will remain vacant.
At city hall, cuts include a fiscal technician in the finance department, an engineering technician and a zoning enforcement officer in community preservation and development, the city's public information coordinator, and the economic development director. An open purchasing agent position in the finance department would also remain vacant.
The cuts represent about $1 million in salaries, but would net the city about $700,000 in savings as Park Ridge is self-insured for unemployment, explained Park Ridge Mayor Dave Schmidt. He added that the unemployment payments could be long-term.
"Any government worker is going to have a horrible time finding another job right now," he said. Schmidt understood the financial need for the cut but wondered what they might mean to citizens. "I have great concern, but I also have concern about the budget," he said.
Hock explained job functions would be reassigned as much as possible.
"People are our service," he said. "When there are less people things either slow down or back up or you decide to cut back on providing some of those services."
Hock said he was not proposing the elimination of any additional city services but that some requests will not get as much attention or attention as quickly as before. Although the position of public information coordinator is on the list, Hock said the city's newsletter would continue on a contractual basis.
Hock discounted email circulated rumors that the city could lose its police accreditation or have its Insurance Service Organization rating lowered.
"We'll take a look at that," he said, but indicated he did not believe there would be a problem. Hock stated the city has already dropped one of the police certifications and the ISO rating considers many factors and criteria and is assessed only every 10 years.
Hock added he would not comment on how staffing reductions would work for the police and fire departments.
"I'm going to wait and let the directors in each department present their plan to council," he said. Those departments will present their budgets at the meeting on Saturday, Mar. 6.
Schmidt worries about the planned loss of the economic development director.
"I've already received several calls from local business people who are diametrically opposed to the elimination of that position," he said. Schmidt also raised the possibility of combining the economic development and community preservation and development departments. "Maybe (we could) eliminate one or more management positions and redistribute the duties."
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