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Jun 15, 2009 9:52 am US/Central
Dallas Looks At Cuts To Fix Budget Problems
DALLAS (AP) ―
The city would beef up its police force by 200 officers but also be forced to lay off nearly 20 percent of its civilian work force under a new proposal to fix the city's budget problems.
The plan released by City Manager Mary Suhm calls for the larger police presence but about 785 of nearly 6,000 civilian city employees to lose their jobs. Another 380 vacant positions would be eliminated, The Dallas Morning News reported Sunday.
"What you expect is a city that's focused on the priorities the council has delineated, which is public safety and building for our future infrastructure, and a general contraction of services," she said. "It is just like in our homes, we are having to respond to economic conditions and reduce everything."
The proposal, the latest effort to shore up the worst budget deficit in decades, was released late Friday night and shows close a $190 million gap in a $1.9 billion operating budget. In addition to the job cuts, the city would lose some services. If enacted by the City Council, the proposals would save $38.6 million.
The rest of the gap could be addressed by drastic measures such as unpaid furloughs for city employees or the temporary closure of libraries, recreation centers and community pools.
Under Suhm's proposal, departments other than police, fire and code will be reduced by an average of 25 percent.
The details are certain to change in some respects as Suhm gets closer to an Aug. 10 deadline to present budget recommendation to the council.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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