CYPRESS : Layoffs Included in Reduced City Budget

The City Council this week passed an austere, $17.9-million budget that is 2.9% less than the previous year’s expenditures and includes layoffs for 16 full-time and four part-time employees.

The new budget predicts that the city will continue to suffer in 1994-95 from the lingering recession.

Projected income for Cypress will be 4.1% less than the previous fiscal year, City Manager Darrell Essex said. He said layoffs of city employees had to be made in order to balance the new budget.

Essex said the 16 full-time jobs that have been eliminated include two in administration, two in finance, three in community development and nine in public works. Essex said four police management positions were cut, but they were offset by the addition of four full-time police officers.

“We don’t think the level of service to residents will suffer in the coming year, but obviously this means more work for the remaining staff that we have,” Essex said.

Councilwoman Gail H. Kerry said the new budget evolved after weeks of study by the City Council.

“There’s a lot involved in this,” she said. “We have a lot of reductions. There are a lot of layoffs. . . . We have quite a change, and a lot of time was spent on this budget.

“We made every effort to cut where we could but still be able to provide the people of this community what they need.”

Councilwoman Cecilia L. Age said, “I’m really proud of what we’ve done (in preparing the budget). We could have done other things that were easier (than making spending cuts). We could have added a tax.”

The council Monday night also approved, without controversy, a $3.1-million budget for the Park and Recreation District.

The budget calls for a 4.1% reduction in expenditures compared to the previous year.

Both budgets go into effect in the fiscal year that begins Friday.