Mayor Domenic Sarno predicted more layoffs and cuts in services.
SPRINGFIELD – The City Council slashed about $2.7 million from the proposed fiscal year 2012 budget, leading Mayor Domenic J. Sarno to predict more layoffs and cuts in services.
Domenic SarnoMany councilors, however, said the cuts could be afforded primarily by not filling most of the vacant jobs in the city and by an across-the-board 5 percent cut in all non-salary accounts.
The council approved a final budget of $542.2 million, by a vote of 10-3. The budget, taking effect July 1, includes $330.8 million for the School Department.
Sarno said the councilors raised concerns about layoffs, but in effect will create more layoffs. His budget included 13.5 layoffs and the elimination of 54.5 vacant positions.
“The public will have to realize that there will be (negative) service implications,” Sarno said.
Council President Jose F. Tosado said he is proud of the council’s action, saying it is the largest amount of budget cuts he can recall.
Jose Tosado“We are in a very difficult fiscal position, and we need to tighten our belts just like the citizens tighten their belts,” Tosado said.
As proposed by Council Finance Committee Chairman Michael Fenton, the council cut 5 percent, totaling $1.7 million from all the city departments’ non-salary accounts, such as department supplies, materials and other expenses.
Two city councilors, Clodovaldo Concepcion and James J. Ferrera III, supported the mayor’s budget in its entirety.
Concepcion said the original $544.9 million budget was “bare-bones.” The mayor’s budget reflected a 2.1 percent increase over the initial adopted budget for this fiscal year.
Ferrera said that given the “unprecedented times” and tornado devastation, he believed the mayor “should have the opportunity to have his budget honored.”
Concepcion, Ferrera and Councilor Timothy J. Rooke opposed the final budget, with Rooke objecting to cuts in the Information Technology department.
In related action, the mayor’s request to use $10.5 million from the city’s stabilization fund was rejected by a vote of four in favor, nine against.
Tosado said Sarno can now return and propose using a lesser amount from reserves, as proposed by some councilors. Councilors, in the aftermath of a state-imposed Finance Control Board, want to reduce the use of reserve funds and be fiscally responsible, he said.
“It was a difficult but necessary process,” Fenton said. “We needed to reduce our reliance on stabilization reserves for reoccurring expenses.”
In addition, the council cut $539,910, which was set aside by the mayor for 13 vacant positions that the mayor wished to fill.
The council agreed to keep funds in place for four vacant police officer positions including plans to fill two sergeant positions, and one vacant master mechanic position in the Department of Public Works.
The council cut approximately $240,000 from the CitiStat Department, whose staff uses a computer-based management tracking system designed to improve the performance of city departments. The amount essentially eliminates the department, city officials said.
The council is limited in its ability to cut the school budget by state law, primarily restricted to being able to cut the funds for transportation, officials said.
There were no cuts to the school budget, which was approved by the School Committee.