Youngstown city council passed its 2008 budget tonight.  It does not include the more than 60 job cuts that have been talked about recently. But those cuts could still be coming.  Cuts to services and employees seem to be the talk of many local communities recently, and Youngstown is no different. The city is looking at a 3 million dollar deficit by the end of this year. So how did the city get here?

John R. Swierz, 7th Ward Councilman;  "WE ALL KNOW THERE IS A DOWNTURN IN THE ECONOMY, AND THE HOUSING AND EVERYTHING. SO, THE PROJECTED INCOME TAX REVENUES FOR 2008 ARE SHOWING A GREAT DRAMATIC DECREASE."

And that decrease means cuts will need to be made somewhere, and even though council has now passed a 44-million dollar budget for the year, that doesn't mean it's set in stone.

Paul Drennen, 5th Ward Councilman;  "WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO GO BACK NOW AND REVISIT THE BUDGET, LOOK AT IT THOROUGHLY, MAKE ANY CUTS, AND WE CAN GO THROUGH AND PASS ANOTHER BUDGET AFTER THAT."

So where will the axe fall? Wages account for a majority of the budget, but council members are reluctant to reduce personnel.

Drennen;  "WE'VE ALREADY MET WITH POLICE AND FIRE, EXPRESSED WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE CITY. AND WE'RE ASKING FOR THEIR HELP BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO LAY ANYBODY OFF, SO WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT WE CAN DO TO AVOID THAT."

One area that could save the city substantial money is making cuts in overtime hours.

Swierz;  "ALWAYS YOU LOOK AT THE OVERTIME BECAUSE THAT'S ALWAYS A BIG TICKET ITEM. YOU KNOW WHEN YOU'RE DOWN ON SOME STAFF SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO USE OVERTIME TO CALL SOMEBODY IN, OR HAVE SOMEBODY HOLD OVER ON OVERTIME, SO OVERTIME IS A BIG THING."

Council needs to make a final decision on cuts within sixty days.