CITY FINANCES Campbell leaders seek ways to produce balanced budget

Workers in the street and water departments have agreed to make concessions.
CAMPBELL -- With police voting against concessions, "it's back to the drawing board" for city leaders trying to cut costs, the city's finance director says.
Police had been asked to forgo a portion of their uniform allowance, overtime pay for two holidays (Good Friday and Easter) and longevity pay, Finance Director John Leskovyansky said Friday. He said 12 officers met Thursday afternoon and rejected the idea of concessions. He didn't know if the vote was unanimous.
Council President Robert Yankle has said that if members of the police and fire unions agree to certain concessions, the city could move closer to a balanced budget in 2005.
Acceptance
Employees in the street and water departments have accepted the concessions package.
Leskovyansky said the concessions, however, are contingent on all unions accepting them. "When police said no, that put us back to the beginning," he said.
The concessions were designed to help trim $275,000 from next year's budget.
The finance director said he will, over the next 10 days, have meetings with Mayor Jack Dill and recommend adjustments to appropriations. The mayor will then present the appropriation amendments to city council when it meets Dec. 1.
Leskovyansky declined to cite specific areas where costs may be cut. He said there are "a lot of options."
Layoffs
Yankle has said concessions could save the city enough money to avert further layoffs.
One firefighter and two street department workers already have been laid off. Eight more are scheduled to be furloughed before the end of the year.
The police union previously declared it had made concessions and saved the city money by allowing the city to hire part-time officers to fill full-time vacancies.
The firefighters have said they would not agree to the elimination of current minimum staffing requirements.