CITY HALL , The City Council will begin deliberating ways to plug a $7-million budget gap by July 1 as departments present reduction strategies during six budget study sessions planned throughout the next two weeks. The City Council is charged with analyzing the appropriateness of each of the city’s 16 departments’ budget proposals and the effect of the anticipated 5% to 7.5% reductions on city services. City officials vow to avoid layoffs, but predict that the preliminary budget, to be completed by June 1, will be “painful.” For the full story click here
