City officials looking at tax hike, layoffs and raising water rates

Mayor Shirley Franklin justified the fears of City Council members – and many taxpayers – this past Thursday when she laid out a budget proposal that calls for the sacking of 440 city employees; cuts in municipal services; increases in various fees and fines; and, the most dreaded element, a $40 million property-tax increase.

Actually, Franklin didn't so much propose citywide layoffs as announce them, since by law the mayor's office can make near-unilateral decisions regarding staff reductions. By the time you read this, most of the pink slips likely will have been handed out.