Oakland is looking to balance its midyear budget with $63 million in proposed cuts if it does not get the expected windfall from selling its share of the Coliseum property quickly.
The resolution to Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao's previous budget was released Tuesday to meet a June 30 deadline.
The proposed cuts come as the city is still working to finalize the sale of its part of the Oakland Coliseum, money Thao promised would balance the budget.
Oakland councilmembers will meet Friday to discuss a list of potential cuts, including freezing open police and fire positions and possibly browning out four fire engine companies.
Other potential budget cuts could impact public parks, libraries, animal services and scores of other departments.
To make those cuts, the city of Oakland would have to declare a fiscal emergency to bypass some statutes that require minimum levels of funding.
The Oakland Police Officers Association said the city has already reduced the police force and frozen positions.
“We fear this will significantly impact the level of service and safety we can provide,” said Huy Nguyen, president of the police officers union. “If our city leaders prioritize public safety, freezing and eliminating police officer positions is not the solution. Our community members are living and working under very difficult conditions and demand more services to ensure a safe environment to work and live in."
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The city’s director of communications, Sean Maher, said the proposed options come at the request of councilmembers who want to see different scenarios to balance the budget without the finalized sale of the Coliseum property.
Maher issued a statement saying, in part, "These options present significant additional spending cuts for the immediate balancing of the budget, which could be restored for the upcoming fiscal year as one-time revenues from the sale are realized. The resolutions published today outline those options so that our City Council can make fully informed decisions as it adopts a final midcycle budget revision."
East Oakland Councilmember Treva Reid issued a statement Tuesday saying the safety of Oakland should be a priority.
“I appreciate the administration for providing a more accurate and fiscally responsible approach to addressing the budget challenges and the crisis we face with a $177 million deficit," she said. "I also have concerns about the deeper impacts on community resources and public safety cuts in the Oakland Police Department and Oakland Fire Department."
The council will meet Friday for a budget meeting to discuss the proposed options.
