DAYTON — Many companies and city governments felt the financial burden of this year as the COVID-19 pandemic took its toll.
As 2020 comes to an end some tough decisions must be made as cities, including Dayton, try to balance the budget after the pandemic.
The City of Dayton’s 2021 budget is being worked through by the commissioners as they try to reduced $20 million from the 2020 budget.
“2020 was a tough year,” Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein told News Center 7′s Mike Campbell.
“We can’t take 20 million out of the budget and deliver the high quality services that, frankly, our community deserves.”
Dickstein says the city has done everything they can not to cut services.
In March and April when COVID shutdowns began commissioners immediately began a hiring freeze, cut spending, offered a voluntary separation plan for employees and cut vacant positions.
“Between the voluntary separation and eliminating vacant positions, we took out almost 200 positions,” Dickstein said.
So far city services have not been cut, but the initiative for bringing in new firefighters and police officers to replace retiring employees is drying up.
“So we do not have money in the 2021 budget for recruit classes for police and fire,” she said.
The city is looking for outside funding for those recruit classes and they’re hoping the planning they’ve done for 2021 is not upended by more bad virus news.
“I think we’re in good position to weather the 2021 recession,” Dickstein said.
The city is hoping for more help from the federal government in 2021 and no more lockdowns that would lead to more economic disruptions and even more re-figuring of the budget.