Life in the Bush economy: Atlanta leaves 53 police jobs unfilled; Delays hiring of Fire recruits

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from the ATL Journal-Constitution:



ATL budget cuts: 53 police jobs won't be filled

West End fire station to close; 27 firefighter recruits won't be hired

By ERIC STIRGUS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 07/11/08

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin announced Friday she will plug the city's budget shortfall by not filling 53 police officer vacancies, not hiring 27 fire department recruits and closing the city's oldest fire station.

City Council leaders said they would see if they can avoid some of the cuts after further reviewing Franklin's plan.

The mayor is laying off 78 workers and eliminating 112 vacancies. In all, the cuts to the city's general fund budget total $21.6 million.

"I think these cuts ... will have serious implications for the city for a long time to come," Franklin told reporters Friday.

The city's general fund budget is about $575 million. It does not include water and sewer employees, garbage collectors and airport workers. Those employees work for departments not included in the general fund and are exempt from the layoffs.

Franklin said she exceeded the $14.6 million in cuts recommended by the council because of the uncertainty over the economy and how much the city will collect from property taxes.

Among those disappointed by Friday's announcement was West End resident Kwabena Nkromo. He and other community leaders were involved in a preservation effort of Fire Station 7, which Fire Chief Kelvin J. Cochran said will close by Monday. The fire station opened in 1910, officials said.

"I am outraged by this," said Nkromo, chairman of Neighborhood Planning Unit T, which covers the fire station.

Cochran said response times to fire and medical emergencies should not suffer in the area because there are four fire stations within three miles of Fire Station 7, located at 535 Whitehall St. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/07/11/atlanta_police_budget_cuts.html