Just months after the city of Flint announced cuts of nearly 50 police officers, 10 more officers may be put on that list. According to Mayor Dayne Walling, a recent budget analysis shows that the city could face a projected 7-million dollar loss in the city's general fund next year.
This projected loss could result in more officers being pink slipped, and less officers on duty. "You just can't make that kind of adjustment without affecting all of our services," said the Mayor. The Mayor said if the city loses the projected amount, cuts will affect all City Hall positions and the cuts will be made across the board.
"We need everybody at City Hall to be a part of the solution. I've proposed 10 percent cost salary reductions for all appointees--all exempt workers."
Although the Mayor sees the cuts as a solution, Flint Police Union Association President, Keith Speer, has quite the opposite sentiment.
"We can't answer the calls that we get; sometimes people are waiting hours and sometimes days to get a police officer," said Speer.
Despite opposition, the Mayor said salary reductions could make communication of layoffs a thing of the past. "We've got the dollars there, and if we can get some concessions then we can actually avoid any further layoffs. We can actually make a few callbacks if we get some concessions," he said.
The Mayor said in the midst of reductions, new technology, including some "smart policing" initiatives, will be implemented to improve public safety.
