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North Las Vegas will slash 204 jobs by mid-June
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K.M. Cannon/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
People look at the video monitor displaying reduction in force graphics during a North Las Vegas City Council meeting Thursday. The council voted to eliminate 204 city positions to help close a $33.4 million budget shortfall. » Buy this photo
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Apr. 2, 2010 | 7:30 a.m.
The bad news: 204 North Las Vegas city jobs will be cut by mid-June.
But that number, which the City Council approved Thursday evening during a 52-minute budget meeting, is significantly less than the 273 positions originally targeted to be eliminated.
The financially strapped city made the cuts to save the additional $33.4 million it needs to make it through fiscal year 2011.
"We have done everything in our power to reduce the number of positions to be eliminated, but we still have work ahead of us," Acting City Manager Maryann Ustick said.
At least $19.6 million will be cut in city services, including $275,000 in legal support from the city attorney's office, which also reviews business contracts for North Las Vegas. A detailed list of the positions to be cut was not provided at the meeting.
Each city department came up with cost recovery strategies, such as increasing fees and transferring project funds where needed, which will help make up $14 million in the budget reduction program.
Ustick said the legal service cuts are "painful" and "no doubt will impact other departments."
Budget cuts will be felt in all areas this summer as libraries reduce their hours and two community pools shut down.
Heated debate occurred between Mayor Shari Buck, who was the lone vote against the budget reduction proposal, and her fellow council members about making cuts to police and fire departments.
The Police Department will defer vehicle replacements until after fiscal year 2011, freeze positions vacated since Dec. 2 and not fill vacancies for commissioned police officers, which will save the city close to $4.9 million.
The Fire Department will cut from operational units and code enforcement, which will save $2.7 million. At least 20 firefighters are expected to lose their jobs.
"As a City Council member and the mayor, my top priority has to be public safety," Buck said. "To cut police and fire jobs is just something I'm not willing to do."
That set off Councilwoman Anita Wood, who gave a six-minute speech about treating all city employees equally.
"I don't know that we get to choose that some city employees are more important than others," Wood said. "We have to work together, city and unions, to help us get through this crisis."
Councilman Robert Eliason became visibly irritated with Buck and said her position "insults" the rest of the council.
Eliason continued to call Buck out: "We're all concerned about public safety, mayor, but what have you brought to the table?"
The city, which is dealing with plummeting tax revenues, has undergone five rounds of budget cuts totaling $51 million since December 2008.
It already has eliminated or frozen dozens of positions, reduced overtime, trimmed departmental budgets and offered voluntary employee buyouts and furlough days.
The city's three employee unions last year agreed to contract concessions that included cost-of-living deferrals. Savings from the concessions were $8.7 million, but the council said the unions need to do more.
"To those who do not have work to do because of a slowdown in development and planning, obviously we cannot continue to pay for work that's not there anymore," Buck said. "To those who will receive layoff notices in places where we're busy with services and our residents will suffer because services are being cut, that's difficult too for me to handle.
"For those who will be laid off, that is not in any way a reflection of the work that you've done," Buck said. "We've appreciated your work for the city throughout the years."
Contact Kristi Jourdan at kjourdan@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279.
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Actually NLVFD already took a cut and the salary is under $50K/year before taxes, before paying for their health insurance. They get paid OT to fill slots because the city council doesn't want to take on more employees. It's cheaper for the city that way.
Cas, who else is willing to do anything at 3 am from picking up drunks to working on a car wreck, to possibly even running into a fire? You?
"10 days a month at 24 hours per shift"
Yeah, and who else gets paid for sleeping on the job, Tim?
How many on here have offered to change your car payment and pay more to help the auto industry. They need help and need to change your contract, so do the right thing and open it up to a higher rate and help them out, same goes for you house payments. All of you would be pissed if Bank of America wanted to increase your intrest rate because times are bad for them. you have a signed contract that both agreed to. So why should the cites not honor them?
Why dont you look into how many cities AMR has pulled out of because they couldnt make a profit. And I never said that the public FD is free. It is paid by taxes. They dont charge for every fire call they make. They only charge extra for transports of EMS pts. That money goes into the cities general fund, not the FD's. Oh and they dont respond to cats in trees. Oh didnt all those firefighters you are always talking to tell you that. Do you know how much you pay each year for fire protection? Its different for each city depending on the taxes. Ill slow down for you. If you live in the county you dont pay for the cities fire department improvements, wadges and such. Pull your head from your butt, do some research and have a clue what you are talking about!