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ANAHEIM : Deficit May Force City to Cut 30 Jobs

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Thirty positions could be cut from the municipal work force to help close a projected $1.5-million budget deficit next year, city officials said Monday.

City Manager James D. Ruth, citing the city’s continued sluggish tourist-based economy, said most of the cuts would come in the elimination of positions that are currently vacant.

“We didn’t expect a quick fix,” Ruth said. “And we may never regain the revenue we have lost.”

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Ruth said sales tax revenues are off by up to $10 million over the past six years, with the biggest hit coming last year.

“Everybody thought the hotels would come booming back,” Ruth said of the city’s Disneyland area. “They are still slow, and there hasn’t been a lot of spending in that area. Disney is down.”

The City Council is not expected to consider budget proposals, including any possible position cuts, for the 1992-93 year until June. The expected staff cuts in June would come a year after officials eliminated about 180 positions to make up a $20-million deficit.

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Many of last year’s position cuts were made in the city’s maintenance department, and Ruth said residents should begin to see the effects of those actions in the coming months.

“I think people are going to notice that street maintenance is off and our response times to problems might be longer,” Ruth said. “Still, there is this pressure to meet the demand with the staff we have.”

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