GM layoffs lead to worries about city taxes

WARREN (AP) — City officials near the General Motors Corp. plants in Lordstown are hoping upcoming layoffs won’t cut too deeply into local tax revenue.

GM said Friday that about 3,600 workers will be laid off indefinitely beginning early next year at 10 of its assembly plants.

About 1,060 hourly workers are being laid off in Lordstown, where GM makes the Cobalt and Pontiac G5 fuel-efficient cars. About 50 salaried jobs also are being cut.

Many of those workers live in nearby Warren, where members of the city’s finance committee had already been preparing for a tight 2009 budget.

Mayor Michael O’Brien says he remains worried about maintaining city operations. He says other officials should consider establishing more regionalized services.