Ellington

A 20-officer shortfall and decreased overtime in the Jackson Police Department are helping offset a $2.3 million drop in sales tax revenue this year. Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. said last week that he can use $1.3 million in one-time unspent money and trim $1 million out of the fiscal year 2010 budget, added to the amounts saved by city departments, to stop an immediate crisis.

City departments saved $1.4 million this first quarter by filling only critical staff positions. JPD, the largest city department, saved $684,167 out of its $36 million budget. The Jackson Fire Department saved $551,238 out of its $20 million budget, Human and Cultural services saved $90,228 out of its $5 million budget, and Public Works saved $202,817 out of its $12 million budget. General government, whose $16 million budget includes the city clerk's office, the legal department and the mayor's office, managed to save $151,792.

"We expect sales taxes to be below budget by $2.3 million by the year-end," Johnson told the City Council Budget Committee at the March 24 meeting.

Sales taxes are slumping due to a bad economy and retail shifts outside the city limits. Johnson also fears revenue from property taxes to be flat this year, despite newly annexed property in south Jackson.

The council must approve the mayor's recommendation at the next Budget Committee meeting, which will allow the greater council to vote on the adjustment.

The $1.4 million in savings by departments likely will not repeat itself, even if the city continues its restrictive hiring practices for another three quarters, the mayor said.

A new officer class is coming in this year, and the city will fund swimming pools and Parks and Recreation programs this summer. "We don't think we're at the bottom of this, but we have been able to manage the deficit we have with the resources that we have," he said.

The mayor said he is lookingfor savings, as in a new system for outstanding warrants. "We're segregating our outstanding warrants by precinct, and we're giving those warrants to precinct commanders. We gave about 1,000 warrants to the Precinct 2 commander and the beat officers will start serving those warrants," Johnson said last week.