Does El Cerrito Need More Police, Firefighters? Tell Us What You Think

A quick look at El Cerrito's proposed budget for the upcoming financial year 2013-14 suggests a similar situation as that of other East Bay cities.

The budget will be one of the major topics during Tuesday's El Cerrito City Council meeting. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at City Hall.

The City is looking for ways to increase revenue and save money, something everyone can relate to. El Cerrito's proposed budget suggests cuts to funding several departments, most notably the police, fire and public works departments.

The proposed 2013-14 budget includes $10,507,068 for the police department, down by $474,245 from the previous year. The proposed budget also shows cuts $1,895,198 in funding for the fire department and $1,205,801 for the public works department.

Most of suggested savings in the budget proposal are expected to come from limited staffing levels. Four vacant fire department positions would remain unfilled, along with three public works posts and one police department position.