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Suncoast Pinellas News

Dunedin Could Cut 18 Full-Time Positions

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By Mark  Schantz | The Suncoast News

Published: June 26, 2008

DUNEDIN – The city could cut 18 full-time positions from its fiscal 2009 budget to make up for an expected $2.6 million revenue shortfall.

In an interview today, City Manager Robert DiSpirito said the city has done everything it could to prevent having to lay off any employees. The amount of property tax revenue the city will lose next fiscal year to state-mandated property tax rate cuts is so large, however, he will be forced to recommend staff reductions, he said.

The City Commission would have to go along with DiSpirito's staff-reduction plan.

"It's very rare to be forced to reduce a budget by this much in a single year," DiSpirito said, adding, "It's a terrible position for all of us to be in."

The economic slowdown is combining with the tax rate reductions to compound the city's budget problems, DiSpirito said.

In drafting the city's budget for the 2009 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, city staff also attempted to make up for the revenue shortfall without impacting services.

For the current fiscal year the city was able to reduce spending by roughly $1.4 million without having to resort to layoffs. In planning for next year's budget, staff had to reduce spending by an additional $2.6 million.

After crunching the numbers staff got to within $600,000 to $800,000 of that goal but ran out of ways to reduce spending and had to resort to layoffs, according to DiSpirito. Some people will take early retirement, while other positions have to be eliminated, he said.

The city will do everything it can to help employees who do not want to retire find jobs in the private sector, DiSpirito said.

For more details on possible Dunedin city government job cuts see the June 28 North Pinellas print edition of The Suncoast News.

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