OXNARD : Plan to Cut Number of Departments Ordered

The Oxnard City Council on Tuesday moved forward with plans to pare city government after reviewing dozens of cost-cutting ideas submitted by city employees.

Council members ordered city staff to create a plan that whittles down the city’s 16 departments to 10, or perhaps even five, and cuts a layer of managers and employees.

“One of the things that has come through very clearly is the idea of consolidating departments,” said Mayor Manuel Lopez of the budget-cutting suggestions requested by City Council. “I think that has the clear support of the employees.”

To help make up for an anticipated $4-million shortfall, the City Council asked employees for their ideas on reducing spending and making City Hall more efficient.

The most popular suggestion was to cut the pay of top managers or get rid of them altogether. Others ideas included offering retirement incentives to older employees, auctioning old city equipment and allowing private companies to provide some services currently provided by the city.

“There are some very creative ideas in here, including getting rid of the stripes on the police cars to save $10,000 to $15,000 a year,” Holden said. “Now that’s creative and should be investigated.” In a related move, council members earlier this month adopted an employee suggestion program that allows city workers to turn their money-saving ideas into cash.

Workers can earn from $50, for an idea that saves $1,000 to $5,000, to a maximum of $250 for an idea that saves more than $10,000. Employees who submit suggestions that save $1,000 or less will get certificates of commendation.