As a result of declining revenue, namely consolidated tax revenues, Carey proposed a budget for 2008-2009 ($62.6 million) that will be nearly $7.5 million less than the budget for fiscal year 2007-2008 ($70.5 million) - and will cut budgets in the police and fire departments.

City Manager Shaun Carey and Finance Director Tom Minton presented the city's final draft budget for fiscal year 2008-2009 at the Sparks City Council meeting Monday.

A public hearing and final approval of the proposed budget will be held at a special meeting on May 20 at 10 a.m. at City Hall.

As part of the latest budget, no new police officers will be hired; however police officers will be more efficient during "peak" times of need with the help of two new fully outfitted patrol cars. The cost to purchase, outfit, operate and maintain these new patrol cars (including fuel cost) is estimated at over $100,000.

The budget does take into account already negotiated labor contracts for the fire department which includes cost-of-living increases to their salary. However, it does not take into account labor negotiations or any salary increases for the two other first-responder unions that will soon be underway.

In addition, the budget does not include any cost-of-living increases for any other city employees.

Sparks City Councilman John Mayer opposed the budget because he worried that the city will lose experienced employees to other organizations, since it could offer no increase in their wages. The other councilmen and Mayor Geno Martini expressed the same worry, but said the budget is as tight as it can get and there is simply no money for wage increases.

Carey said any budget increases would force layoffs of city employees, cutting back the city's ending fund balance in the Generaal Fund, unlocking its rainy day fund or some combination of these.

However, the city council agreed to review the issue of cost-of-living increases in October, when new tax revenue figures are released, to check if the local economy has picked up speed.