Little Rock - Little Rock's Board of Directors faces tough decisions in slashing more than $3 million from the city's budget, and it may mean layoffs for some city employees.

With a $6.7 million budget shortfall for 2010, Mayor Mark Stodola and City Manager Bruce Moore made their recommendations for ways to cut spending at a budget workshop Tuesday night.  Those recommendations include cutting 51 city positions, plus funding for several outside agencies and city programs.  Stodola and Moore say some of those positions are already vacant, leaving 28 employees in various departments including Parks and Recreation, Housing, Finance and Human Resources who could receive notices that they will be laid off.

(Mayor Mark Stodola, Little Rock)
"Each of the departments went through their budgets to determine what they could do to provide as much service as they can and still meet revenue reduction."

The proposal would mean no pay increases for city employees, but funding and staffing for the police and fire departments would stay the same, as would funding for the Pulaski County Jail.  City programs, however, would see drastic funding cuts.  Hours would be reduced at several Little Rock recreation centers, six neighborhood alert centers would be closed and $1.5 million in funding would be cut from largely youth services such as prevention, intervention and treatment programs.

(Michael Keck, Little Rock City Director)
"It's a good first pass. There's some things I think we need to look at more  closely. I'm very concerned about the amount of funding being taken from prevention intervention and treatment programs. They have been very successful and an important part of our efforts to bring down juvenile crime in LR, so I want us to take another look at that."

Several directors said that was a concern for them as well, along with the possibility of layoffs.

Another similar budget workshop will be held Tuesday, December 1.

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