Decreasing tax revenues and funding takeaways from Sacramento have left Cathedral City, like so many other cities across our state, facing serious cut-backs that could effect city services.
As lawmakers in Sacramento work to balance the state's budget, they plan to take millions of dollars in funding away from local cities, forcing many to cut jobs.
In Cathedral City, the state will take almost $12 million away over the next two years.
That loss, along with declining tax revenues, will force the city to operate on a budget cut by 30%.
In response, every department has offered ways to cut-back, but the city will lose 16 jobs and reduce services, to save $10 million over three years.
For the Fire Department, it could mean less personnel on duty at one time, which could lead to longer 911 response times.
For the police, officers on the Graffiti Team would be reassigned to more general duties, resulting in fewer taggers being arrested.
Also, officers would not drive their patrol cars home, which would lessen the presence of police cars on neighborhood roads.
The plans do not call for any sworn-in officers, fire-fighters or paramedics to lose their jobs.
