A nip here and a tuck there has given Oroville a balanced budget. Sacrifice was spread around so no jobs were lost, but some tough decisions were put off for a couple of years.
Oroville city employees will see their hours reduced and some positions will remain vacant as part of a plan to mend the city's $1.5 million dollar deficit.
Other employees like Police Chief Kirk Trostle declined their raises, and the Oroville Police Officers Union deferred its raises for two years. City leaders hoped the union would give back the 6.5% to 8.5% raises voluntarily. Unless the economy improves dramatically over the next two years, this issue will need to be addressed again.
Oroville Finance Director Diane MacMillan said "I think their decision was at least good for the time being. And if we have budget problems in two years, when it comes up again, hopefully they'll be willing to negotiate again if need be."
There are also fears that the state's budget deficit will pull money from Oroville city coffers. MacMillan said "I'm hoping that the state doesn't come back and we have to go deeper."
The budget will likely be approved at next week's city council meeting, assuming the city employees union agrees to the hourly reductions.
