THE CITY OF VENICE MAY LOOK TO SLASH PUBLIC SAFETY JOBS TO FILL A $3.2 MILLION DOLLAR HOLE IN THEIR BUDGET. WWSB TV IS REPORTING THAT UP TO TWENTY PERCENT OF THE CITY’S FIRE DEPARTMENT COULD BE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK, WHILE A HANDFUL OF POLICE JOBS WOULD ALSO BE ELIMINATED. PROPERTY VALES IN VENICE HAVE DROPPED SOME FORTY PERCENT SINCE THE HEIGHT OF THE HOUSING BOOM, AND THEY’VE ALREADY LOPPED OFF ABOUT SIXTY CITY JOBS. CITY FINANCE DIRECTOR JEFF SNYDER SAID PUBLIC SAFETY IS THE LAST PLACE THEY LOOK FOR CUTS, AND IN ORDER NOT TO DIP INTO DWINDLING RESERVES OR RAISE TAXES, THEY ARE LOOKING TO THE CITY’S FIRST RESPONDERS TO COME UP WITH ABOUT TWO MILLION DOLLARS IN CUTS. THAT COULD MEAN AS MANY AS EIGHT FIREFIGHTERS, WHICH FIRE CHIEF JOHN REED SAYS COULD CUT DOWN ON RESPONSE TIMES BECAUSE ONE OF THE THREE FIRE STATIONS WOULD BE CLOSED AT TIMES. VENICE POLICE CHIEF TOM MCNULTY SAYS HIS SEVEN JOB CUTS WOULD COME FROM NOT HIRING FOR THREE OPEN POSITIONS AND FOUR PLANNED RETIREMENTS.
