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Council reviews worst-case $8M gap if levy fails; staff outline detailed service cuts across departments
Summary
At a special Committee of the Whole session, mayor and department directors walked through three budget scenarios tied to a possible levy-lid lift; staff outlined a worst-case plan that would eliminate or reduce programs across police, parks, human services, facilities, and public works to cover an $8 million shortfall if no levy is passed.
The mayor and department directors presented three budget scenarios to the Committee of the Whole on May 20 as the city prepares for a possible levy-lid lift: (1) a levy-sized to balance the current budget; (2) a higher target to restore service levels and address backlogs; and (3) the worst-case scenario if a levy fails. Staff outlined granular eliminations and reductions that would be required in scenario 3, which represents roughly an $8 million structural gap relative to the current adopted budget assumptions.
City leaders described scenario 3 as a set of painful choices. Staff said it would include the elimination of the city’s human-services division manager position and associated programs, a significant cut to parks that could close the Frances Anderson Center, end recreation programs and rentals, reduce restroom and shelter services, and cut park maintenance in half. Public works staff said additional cuts to facilities and streets maintenance would reduce custodial and maintenance staffing by roughly 40 percent in facilities and reduce street-maintenance crews; those changes would shift maintenance from preventive to reactive repairs. Police department staff described cuts that would remove detectives, the traffic unit, the problem-solving/enforcement team, and a domestic-violence coordinator, and would eliminate roughly seven commissioned officers beyond prior reductions; staff warned that investigations and traffic enforcement would drop substantially and overtime pressures could rise.
Staff stressed that some programs are grant-funded or otherwise constrained; the police social-worker role and other grant-funded positions might continue only if grants are renewed. Directors noted that some services and facilities are fragile: stopping routine maintenance or long-running programs can make assets expensive or slow to restore when funding returns. The mayor and staff discussed the timing problem: the election would be in November but results and certification might not allow the city to re-assess an adopted budget in time, so the council may prefer to adopt an early “what-if” resolution documenting the cuts that would occur if a levy fails to give voters a clear basis for the trade-offs.
Councilmembers sought additional detail on staffing impacts (FTE counts), expected overtime increases, options for shared services with neighboring jurisdictions, and one-time financing options (loans between funds) as short-term bridges. Staff said loans are technically possible but only buy time and come with interest costs. The committee scheduled two town-hall style community meetings for May 22 (3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.) to gather public input and will receive a staff-recommended scenario 2 funding number on June 3, with potential council resolution steps and a final ballot decision timeline through June.
