"How can we cut 4.8 million dollars out of the budget yet still enhance public service along the way?"

It won't be easy, but Rockford city leaders think they'll be able to end 2009 with a balanced budget.

"I'd prefer we didn't make any cuts, but if we do, we have to look at making those cuts in areas that are not gonna dramatically put us in a negative position in terms of customer service," says Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey.

Morrissey says most likely all city departments will be effected. With the most dramatic changes occurring within the Police and Fire Departments.

"As we continue to move towards this geographic policing model, we're gonna be more effective with the resources we have as we deploy them in the community," Morrissey says.

Fewer officers would be needed in that case, since they'd be stationed at precincts, not downtown at the Public Safety Building. As for the Fire Department, currently four firefighters serve each engine at a given time. Morrissey thinks removing one of them could save the city at least seven figures, especially when they're typically responding to medical calls.

"If it's really our ambulance service for 85-percent of the time, then we should really effectively perhaps move some of our resources so we get our resources most of our time being spent."

Morrissey says this would equate to about 34 positions. They all wouldn't be laid off, some would be shuffled into other vacant jobs.

He adds these changes would not put public safety at risk because many other departments work with only two or three firefighters per engine. Rockford city leaders will discuss the budget during a special meeting on Saturday, where they're expected to come up with other ideas. If most agree with reducing the number of firefighters per engine, Morrissey says they would need to negotiate with their bargaining unit, before anything is approved.

In order to prevent a drawn out process, Morrissey says they'd give the arbitrator a tight deadline as to when to come up with a decision. That's because when the City was trying to work out a new contract with the fire fighter's labor union, it took several years.