Worst Case Scenario For Tulsa Budget: Hundreds Of Layoffs

By Emory Bryan, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- It is the worst case scenario on the budget -- a plan that could lead to hundreds of layoffs, including firefighters and police officers.

It is a holiday season of worry for many city employees because they won't know who is going to be cut for another couple of weeks.

The mayor says the city needs to cut at least $5 million and maybe $10 million in spending over the next six months.

That will equal hundreds of jobs, from the bottom ranks of the police and fire departments, and from every other city department.

Even basic services provided by the city are on the chopping block - since public works could lose dozens of employees.

The police chief is recommending cuts that range as high as 100 officers.

The fire chief says his department would need to close several stations to make cuts of between 60 and 130 firefighters.

"I mean we'll have to shut fire companies down, which increases response times and when you're looking at fire or EMS, response times are important to minimize incidents," said Chief Allen LaCroix, Tulsa Fire Department.

The mayor says these recommendations will be reviewed over the holidays. He will wait for another sales tax report, around January 7th, before making the final decision on how deep the cuts will need to be.