AUBURN – Councilors will consider trimming jobs as a way to trim services, they said Monday.

In a free-ranging discussion Monday night, councilors talked about finding $1.7 million to cut from the city’s budget. The city has to run efficiently, councilors said.

“From the tax dollars we put out, how many cents are coming back to the community in the form of visible services?” asked Councilor Marcel Bilodeau. Councilors should take a critical look at funding less visible services and at jobs that could be done more efficiently.

That’s tough to find, said City Manager Pat Finnigan. The city has been run very tightly for a number of years. Reducing services may mean reducing staff, she said. But councilors need to tell her what they want.

“You have to keep reminding yourselves that at this point, any meaningful change in city services brings people into the discussion,” she said.

Last week, Finnigan unveiled her proposed fiscal year 2004-05 budget, calling for a total budget increase of $1.84 million for both city and schools.

State money is down, interest earnings are down and the School Committee is seeking its increase. Other city departments are looking at decreases or minimal increases, according to the proposed budget. Finnigan’s administrative budget would come down by $250; planning, health and social services, and the parks and recreation budgets would come down by $52,000.

To keep the city’s property tax rate level at $29.38, councilors would need to trim $1.7 million from the budget.

The city has to look at salaries, Bilodeau said, since they constitute more than 90 percent of the city’s budget, both in municipal services and the schools. Councilor Joe DeFilipp said his constituents tell him the school department itself is over-staffed with administrators.

Bilodeau said he hears the same criticism leveled at the city.

“There has to be a way for us to find dollars to cut out of the salary pile and not affect service,” he said. “That’s what we should be evaluating.”

Councilor Kelly Matzen cautioned against crippling important and visible departments, such as public works and economic development.

Across the river

Mayor Normand Guay said Auburn needs to work with Lewiston down the line to find budget savings. For example, Auburn recently purchased a new ladder truck for its fire department for $800,000. Splitting that cost with Lewiston would have saved each city $400,000.

“It’s really time for us to get away from the political parochialism that’s kept us apart,” Guay said. The two cities could share fire departments, police and public schools, he said.

Councilors from both cities are scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. tonight for a joint budget hearing.

But Guay said he knew those talks wouldn’t help Auburn’s current situation.

“The only way to look at keeping our budget low now is to look at positions, and that’s a horrible thing for me to say,” he said.

Councilors plan to continue reviewing the budget next Monday.

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