It's coming down to crunch time. Just days before the city decides on potentially hundreds of layoffs, it met with several union leaders to talk about concessions. We're told they didn't make much progress.
The administration says it will put together a list on Friday of employees it intends to lay off and send out layoff notices March 15.
Deputy mayor Steve Herwat and Mayor Mike Bell met with unions today hoping they'd be open to the $9 million in concessions the administration has asked for. They had no luck.
Herwat says, "We have no choice but to look at layoffs and even layoffs won't solve by themselves a $48 million budget problem."
The firefighters, police command officers, and AFSCME unions met today. There's another meeting scheduled for Thursday.
Last week the administration also sent city council nine ordinances declaring exigent circumstances. Those would allow the city to make union cuts without negotiations.
Rick Akeman of AFSCME Local 7 says several unions will take the city to court, if they try getting around negotiations.
It's all happening fast, but the city has no choice. It must send a balanced budget to council by March 31.
All eyes will be on city council tomorrow. They're expected to discuss the 9 ordinances from the mayor that allow him to make budget cuts without union negotiations.
One proposal, the suspension of the next police class has taxpayers worried. Roughly 75 Toledo police officers are scheduled to retire sometime in the next two years.
The department needs to fill those positions in order to meet the requirements to receive government funding.
Union leaders believe the mayor is trying to force the hand of officers to get them to make concessions. The mayor wants a 10 percent pension giveback from the unions and for members to pay 20 percent more for their health care, saving the city $9 million.
Taxpayers recognize the city is financially strapped, but they say more officers are needed. Toledoans say jeapordizing safety is not the way to go.
