New City Budget Requires Creative Planning

The city's budget might be getting tighter and tighter, but the cuts won't affect public safety. That was the promise from the El Cerrito City Council and Police Chief Sylvia Moir.

The El Cerrito City Council took an in-depth look at the city's budget for the coming 2013-14 financial year during the June 4 meeting at City Hall.

"The budget doesn't have any extra money," City manager Scott Hanin said during the budget review.

The budget identified several vacancies in departments, including Police, Fire and Parks & Recreation, that might not be filled right away. The City can save money as long as those positions are not filled.

Chief Moir asserted firmly that the Police Department is looking to fill its vacancies, but that a grueling selection process makes it tough to find enough qualified candidates.

"While we can't expect massive increases in staffing, what this signals for us is that we have to build on already smart practices, we have to deploy our officers in an efficient manner," Chief Moir said.

Chief Moir reported the Police Department is making some changes to transition specialized duties to more general positions. Crossing guards and parking enforcement officers are positions that could be brought under the umbrella of community service officers.

"We are willing to examine resources that are out there," Chief Moir said.

The City Council is expected to re-examine the proposed budget at its next meeting on June 18.