Oceanside Drops 95 Jobs, 1 Fire Truck in Budget Crunch : City Services: Council will reconsider keeping two police helicopters in the air as city struggles to avoid an expected $5.8-million deficit.

In a desperate cost-cutting move, the Oceanside City Council on Friday eliminated 95 jobs and made public safety reductions to avoid an expected $5.8-million budget deficit.

The council’s 5-0 vote authorized acting City Manager Jim Turner to slash spending, but agreed to consider saving the Police Department’s helicopter program, even if it means limiting operations.

Two days before the council’s action, nearly 500 city residents flooded the Civic Center to protest public safety cuts, especially the proposed grounding of the two helicopters that had begun flying only five months before the budget crisis hit.

Having previously heard hours of public comment, the council approved the budget reductions without debate. After the vote, Councilwoman Melba Bishop said, “Everything was put into effect at once.”

Nearly all of the 95 jobs cut from the city’s 954-person work force are temporary positions, or vacant positions that won’t be filled. The city has also relied on early retirements or voluntary reduction of work hours to reduce spending.

Much of the budget trimming will be visible in small ways.

Tram service at the Oceanside Pier will be limited, beach lifeguard service will be reduced, the Marshall Street Swim Center will be closed until summer and various city functions--everything from maintenance to getting copies of police reports--will be slower.

The only proposed cuts that provoked public outcry were the grounding of the police helicopters and the removal of one of six fire engines from service.

Twelve firefighters will be reassigned from the engine crew to ambulance duty, allowing the city to save nearly $500,000 by canceling its contract with a private ambulance firm.

“There will be no demotions, no layoffs of any fire suppression personnel,” Fire Chief Jim Rankin said after the council’s vote.

Rankin, when asked whether the loss of a fire engine will slow emergency response, replied, “I don’t know.”

However, firefighter Eric Bertotti, who represented the Oceanside Firefighters Assn. in negotiations with the city over budget cuts, said it will sometimes take longer to respond to emergency calls downtown.

“It’s going to extend the response time, that’s common sense,” Bertotti said. “We’re working with one less engine, which is a major concern for us.

“We want to help the city with the budget crisis, but we also want the city to recognize the public safety issue is still there.”

The council learned last month that Oceanside was in financial trouble.

When the $227-million spending plan for fiscal 1990-91 was approved last summer, the city staff wrongly advised the council that there was a healthy beginning balance of $5 million.

A sharp increase in city spending in recent years has compounded the problem. Since fiscal 1988-89, the police budget has risen $5.8 million and the fire budget has increased $2.4 million.

Meanwhile, an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton have been sent to the Middle East; their absence has hurt downtown businesses and reduced the city’s revenue from the sales tax.

Further, a depressed housing market has slashed the revenue Oceanside expected from developer fees and fees paid for city engineering, planning and building services.