Mixed news comes from city council budget meeting

Good and bad news coming out of city council’s proposed budget meeting Friday. No city employees will be losing their jobs, but cuts will be made elsewhere.

City council has eliminated more than 30 unfilled positions within the city. They offered early retirement to eligible employees, and already 36 people have taken them up on it. That is going to save tax payers more than a million dollars. “In times like this, there is always a silver lining in every dark cloud,” said Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo. “It gives us an opportunity as a city government to look at how we do business.”

Another money saver; the city decided to postpone some road work until after the 2010 fiscal year.

The city manager is now asking each department to look at five, ten and fifteen percent reduction plans.