OXNARD : Police Services Pared in Latest Budget Cuts

Forced to make their deepest cuts yet to balance next year’s budget, Oxnard City Council members voted late Tuesday to reduce some police services and continue closing public restrooms on weekdays to save cleaning fees.

Council members are cutting costs to make up an anticipated $5-million shortfall for fiscal year 1992-93. Previous cuts have so far resulted in $3.8 million in savings. “We need to make some real hard decisions along the line,” City Manager Vernon Hazen told council members Tuesday. “We really need to adjust our budget and live within our economy.”

The $62-million spending plan formally adopted by the council Tuesday included $4.3 million in cuts.

Police and fire budgets were cut a total of $450,000, with council members agreeing to replace two motorcycle officer positions with photo radar units and to eliminate the vacant positions of a police supervisor and victim’s advocate.

But the council stopped short of approving a staff recommendation to freeze three vacant police officer positions, deciding instead to allow Police Chief Harold Hurtt, who took his post Monday, to determine how badly those cuts would hurt service.

Since fiscal year 1989-90, budget problems have resulted in the loss of 16 police positions, including five police officer positions still budgeted but unfilled.

“Personally I’m not in favor of cutting any police officers at all,” Councilman Michael Plisky said.