Page 23 - Utility Rates News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

And fire, sworn officers. there's a whole cadre of city services that support public safety. >> let me ask you about that because we're talking about city services being shut down here and looking at the number of times that the mayor said, hey, let's just raise utility rates and i'm seeing that the council rejected it a number of times. why not just raise -- i mean, you're in a horrible budget situation. why not raise utility rates? doesn't that seem less radical than saying to folks, you know, two days a week, we're shutting down services. >> first of all, that raise in the utility rates isn...

Everybody. nobody believed it. i couldn't believe it. but it was said that they have no money, so they cannot afford to fund the police department. and it was cut. >> reporter: in february the city council reduced the police force. now there's just three officers. the mayor says barring a miracle the entire department will probably be gone by july. >> so you don't have enough reserve or anything just to get through this economic downfall to keep a police department? >> unfortunately, we have no reserve. >> reporter: mayor glenn newsom calls it the perfect economic storm. just as the city was d...

This is mason street. >> reporter: but soon she may have to hang up her badge for good. >> it's just a shock to everybody. nobody believed it. i couldn't believe it. but it was said that they have no money, so they cannot afford to fund the police department. and it was cut. >> reporter: in february the city council reduced the police force. now there's just three officers. the mayor says barring a miracle the entire department will probably be gone by july. >> so you don't have enough reserve or anything just to get through this economic downfall to keep a police department? >> unfortunately,...

Nobody believed it. i couldn't believe it. it was said that they have no money, so they cannot afford to fund the police department. it was cut. >> in february the city council reduced the police force. now there's just three officers. the mayor says barring a miracle, the entire department will probably be gone by july. you don't have enough reserve or anything to get through this economic downfall to keep up a police department? >> unfortunately, we have no reserve. >> the mayor calls it the perfect economic storm. as the city was dealing with nationwide problems like declining tax dollars, ...

Estate bust enunemployment, it was hit by cold winter and the city runs the area's power, gas and water systems. >> people came in and said, we can't pay utility rates. council decided to lower utility rate to electricity, it's called a power cost adjustment. when they lowered that that reduced anticipated revenue by $250,000 for the remainder of this fiscal year. >> reporter: the city put land up for sale, borrowed money, furloughed employees and cut programs. even that wasn't enough to save what makes up the biggest part of their budget, the police department. >> i think the council had no o...