LEWISTON — City officials on Thursday said further cuts to the municipal budget could cost the city personnel and positions, reducing public services.

The increase over the current year’s budget has been whittled down from 7.1% to 6.6% over several workshops. At least one city councilor, however, wants to see more taken out.

Budget cuts that include layoffs have not been made since 2008, Deputy City Administrator Brian O’Malley said.

“If the cuts that you folks are talking about are going to be bodies, it will affect the services that we’re able to provide to the citizens of Lewiston,” O’Malley told the council.

The city budget does not include Lewiston’s portion of the county budget, which is expected to increase by $1.3 million — nearly 21% more — nor payment on the city’s debt, which is expected to increase by more than $1 million or 13.3%. Additionally, the Lewiston school budget could increase by $12 million, while the state of Maine has decreased revenue sharing funding to the city by some $800,000.

Ward 1 Councilor Joshua Nagine suggested City Administrator Bryan Kaenrath and his office find about $1.7 million more to carve out of the city budget. Kaenrath said that would certainly result in significant layoffs. 

While convinced the city can find more smaller areas to carve out, Ward 2 Councilor Susan Longchamps argued that further cuts involving city positions should not be the goal. 

“For me as a councilor sitting up here the last two-and-a-half years, we worked really hard to fill positions to make departments more desirable,” Longchamps said. “So, I’m not sure that we should really be cutting jobs. … I just don’t think it’s a good idea for the city of Lewiston.”

Further suggestions from councilors would see the police department reconsidering its take-home vehicle plans, the city counting on 100% of revenue sharing instead of the customary 95%, and abandoning a waste management contract with Casella. Kaenrath said the first two options could result in $1 million in reductions without eliminating city positions.

While council President David Chittim of Ward 6 argued that booking 100% of revenue sharing is a gamble since it’s an estimated amount, other councilors pushed back on eliminating take-home police vehicles from the budget. The vehicles are already being used as a recruitment tool and the take-home strategy is seen as a major solution for some issues at the police department. 

“My ward specifically has a lot of crime and a lot of safety issues where people are not feeling safe in their own homes,” Ward 5 Councilor Chrissy Noble said. “They’re dealing with unhoused (individuals) sleeping on their porches, they’re being assaulted. I agree that the cars are important for us to be able to recruit good officers.”

Nagine said bumping the revenue sharing up to the full 100% — about $580,000, according to finance director Tracy Roy — would be in addition to his suggestion of cutting $1.7 million. Ultimately, a 3%-3.5% increase for operating expenses would be ideal, Nagine said, adding that the city should be able to go back to its departments to ask for further cuts. 

“I realize that people are saying that this is going to be jobs that we’re cutting, but I don’t necessarily agree with that,” Nagine said.

Kaenrath said his office would come back to the council with scenarios for what cuts of $1 million, $1.5 million and $2 million would look like.