Pine River City Council made budget reductions, April 14, including reduction of Officer Shawn Birr's position.
"We just cannot afford to keep him at the present time," Mayor Jim Sabas said of the council's action.
The move reduces the Pine River police force from four to three.
Pine River-Backus High School senior Brittany Mead made a plea to the council to keep Birr's position, and asked that they make cuts elsewhere.
She also presented the council with a list of signatures of people opposing the position cut.
Police Chief Josh Ebert told the council that he is applying for a grant in hopes that they'll be able to hire Birr back if the grant is approved.
Total budget cuts of $76,461 approved by the council includes $36,461 in cuts in the maintenance department (includes a $3,000 cut in Pine River Cemetery maintenance); $35,000 in cuts for the police department (includes the loss of Birr's position); $2,600 in cuts for janitorial service at city hall and the law enforcement center; $2,200 in cuts to animal control; and $200 of cuts for clerk's training.
The council also passed resolutions to return all city employees to 2008 wages and to allow city councilors to donate a portion of their council salaries to the general fund.
The city faces a nearly $30,000 reduction in Local Government Aid (LGA) funding for 2009 and an approximate $62,000 LGA reduction the following year, according to the Department of Revenue.
The council voted unanimously to reject the proposed contract with the police union due to concerns with the following: compensatory time (time off with pay in lieu of overtime); post-retirement health care savings; double holiday pay; time-and-a-half pay for certain holidays like Mother's Day and Father's Day; shift differentials; and a clause regarding wages given LGA funding.
Contract negotiations will continue.
The Pine River Police Department - with the exception of the police chief who is a city employee - is unionized under Law Enforcement Labor Services, Inc. Local No. 341. They joined the union in December of 2007.
In other council matters, the council:
Approved optional furlough time (time without pay) for city employees. Employees will be able to take up to five days off in 2010 and 2011 without it affecting their full-time or part-time status. The days would need to be requested in advance and must not adversely affect a department or cause overtime.
Approved the mayor's proclamation to name May 4 "Good Samaritan Bowl Day" in Pine River. Good Samaritan Society has raised more than $165,000 in the last five years at their annual bowling event to make improvements at their care centers and hospice.
