City must seek new efficiencies

After months of budget reviews and line-item trimming, the Vandalia City Council last week voted to balance the city’s budget by making personnel cuts.
By the end of the meeting, the city had eliminated its director of economic development position, halted its support for Vandalia Main Street and laid off three workers – one at the city garage, one in the city clerk’s office and the custodian for city hall and the public safety building. Additionally, the council agreed not to fill three open positions – two police officers and one public works position.
Though the cuts were painful, they were necessary to balance the city’s budget. Revenues have been declining in recent years, and expenses had to be adjusted.
We thank the affected employees for their service, and we wish them well.
And we remind citizens that – inevitably – services from the city will be affected. We probably won’t be getting the same level of service or the same response times as before. With several employees missing, it simply won’t be possible, in most cases.
That being said, however, we urge the city to use this time of adjustment to study the services it provides, and seek ways to become more effective and efficient in the delivery of those services. If the remaining employees commit to working smarter, they can still effectively serve the citizens of our community.

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