Aurora – Pools, a library, a recreation center and the city’s museum would close under a budget proposal issued Wednesday by City Manager Ron Miller.
The plan calls for $10.7 million in budget cuts and transfers but also comes with an asterisk: If voters in November approve a public-safety mill levy that would raise $10.4 million a year, those programs could be saved.
City leaders will look at two budgets: one if the levy passes and a more austere plan if it fails.
The latter plan recommends a swath of closures to public facilities, including the Aurora History Museum; the Fitzsimons, Parklane and Village Green pools; the Village Green recreation center; and the Chambers Plaza Library. The proposal recommends laying off nearly 22 people and not filling an additional 18 empty positions. Also, the city is proposing cutting $530,000 to social agencies.
“This is going to be a difficult year because the cuts are going so deep,” said Aurora budget officer Mike Trevithick. “There is going to be a lot of back and forth.”
The budget will be hashed out over the next month in several City Council meetings, culminating in an Oct. 1 day-long session that will determine how the city plans to spend its money in 2006.
“This year’s budget is going to be like dental surgery without the Novocain,” Mayor Ed Tauer said.
The Nov. 1 levy question will ask voters to increase property taxes by 4 mills, or $80 on a $250,000 house.
The money would help the city pay for the voter-mandated program that requires two police officers for every 1,000 residents. It also would provide the city the money to open and staff two fire stations.
City officials say the root of the budget deficit is four years of lower- than-expected revenue and mandated costs such as the two-per-1,000 program, health insurance increases, maintenance requirements and gas and electricity expenses.
Councilman Ryan Frazier is going against the wishes of the rest of the City Council, arguing against the levy and urging more cuts in city programs.
“A the end of the day, the tax increase won’t solve our budget problems,” Frazier said. “What we have is a spending problem.”
The tax hike is supported by the rest of the council, the Aurora Chamber of Commerce and various other organizations.
Tom Tobiassen is leading the fight for the tax hike with his group, Citizens for Aurora Public Safety.
“The bottom line is we need to fund police and fire adequately … without killing everything else,” he said.
Perhaps the most onerous cut for some is the $1.1 million to be gained by closing pools, a library and the museum.
At Wednesday’s weekly meeting at the museum of the Aurora Community Knitters and Crocheters, the budget proposal was met with disdain.
“It stinks,” said Nancy Petrie of Aurora, who sat around a table with 17 other knitters as they made scarves to be sold at the Susan G. Komen Denver Race for the Cure. She is against the mill levy and doesn’t agree with the proposed cuts. “I don’t like to be threatened.”
Becky Martin agreed: “If they can afford the fireworks at the Fourth of July, they can afford the museum.”
The same sentiment is heard at the three pools and library that are on the list.
Inside the tiny storefront library off Chambers Road and East Colfax Avenue on Wednesday, people read books and magazines, searched the shelves and surfed the Web. The library is expected to get nearly 41,000 visitors this year, roughly 4 percent of the total 1 million visits to Aurora’s seven libraries.
Patrons at Chambers Plaza Library said they hope it survives, as it did last year when it was on the chopping block.
“This is an area that needs a library,” said Shirley Magnuson, who was browsing for books.
Other departments also are fearing the budget knife, especially the Comitis Crisis Center, which handles 24-hour suicide calls and offers emergency shelter.
The proposal would eliminate $173,500 from Comitis’ $750,000 annual budget.
“If we lose 25 percent of our budget, we are decimated,” said Richard Barnhill, Comitis director.
Staff writer Jeremy Meyer may be reached at 303-820-1175 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com.
