GALESBURG – The city of Galesburg is proposing significant cuts to its 2014 budget. It includes more than $2 million in savings, and more than $1 million of that would come from cutting employees.
City Manager Todd Thompson said, “We've reached the point where its stagnate revenues and increasing costs, we have to balance them out and that necessitated cuts.”
Those cuts include 12 full-time positions, some part-time jobs, and several vacancies that would be permanently left open.
Thompson recommended these changes to city council, and said it’s in order to get Galesburg’s finances back on track. “This will be the first time that we have faced layoffs but the situation and the amount of money that needs to be cut; there really is no other option.”
The police and fire department could both take a hit. Right now, the budget draft calls for the elimination of two police officers and four firefighters.
Police Chief David Christensen said, “Yeah, that was difficult news to deliver."
Christensen said he’s never dealt with layoffs in his 31 years of service.
As defenders of public safety, he said he’ll do what he can to keep his officers. “If those layoffs do occur we hope through attrition we would be able to bring those two young officers back.”
Leaders said safety is still number one, and they’ll make sure budget cuts don’t jeopardize that.
Thompson said, “Folks may have to wait in line longer for a permit, some quality of life related programs will suffer but the priority of public safety, we're confident will continue at the current level.”
Other cuts besides personnel were also proposed. Thompson said more than $1 million in capital projects will be put off as well.
Leaders are holding working sessions to further discuss ways to save money.
A final budget will be presented in late November.