By Kevin Lavery, KWMU
St. Louis – St. Louis city budget director Frank Jackson says decreases in key revenue sources means a leaner budget next year.
The $790 million plan is four percent smaller than the current budget, and calls for nearly 300 fewer positions.
Jackson says while there will be some layoffs, the budget will not impact essential city services. He says the down economy is hurting major funding sources such as sales and earnings taxes.
"It has been evident for the last two and a half years, which is generally the period of the economic downturn that we've seen nationally," Jackson said. "We follow along the same trends; we haven't seen it turnaround here yet, at least not in those economically sensitive revenue sources."
A public hearing on the city budget will be held Monday.
The St. Louis Board of Estimate and Apportionment has until May 1 to approve it and send it to city legislators.