Norwich — Cutting 5 percent from the city budget as requested by Republican aldermen would eliminate several city employees, including an assistant city engineer, recycling coordinator, two police officers and a human services case manager, and close Spaulding Pond to swimming in Mohegan Park.

A 5 percent cut also would leave the public school budget flat-funded at this year's $77 million, a $3.2 million cut — approximately 20 days' worth of school operations, Superintendent Abby Dolliver said.

City Manager John Salomone submitted spreadsheets on the proposed revised budgets to the City Council showing spending cuts of 3, 4 or 5 percent from the current city budget level to be considered by the City Council as it sets its preliminary 2017-18 budget on Monday.

“It's very difficult to get to 5 percent,” Salomone said Thursday. “I've got the numbers, but I'm certainly not recommending that.”

The suggested cuts would become cumulative as the percent cut grows, Salomone wrote at the top of the 5 percent spreadsheet. A 3 percent overall budget cut mostly would hit the school budget, reducing Salomone's initial proposed 3 percent increase to 2 percent, an $820,000 cut, and also would cut the planned capital improvements budget by $1.7 million, to the minimum called for in the city charter.

The 3 percent cut also would eliminate the $180,000 in professional services costs for the upcoming property revaluation in the city assessor's budget and would reduce four fire department lieutenant positions to firefighters, a savings of $17,500.

At the 3 percent spending cut, Salomone said, there would be a 1.9 percent tax increase citywide, depending on state revenues.

Staff cuts become more widespread at 4 and 5 percent cut levels. At a 4 percent spending cut, one police officer, a shared clerk between the Recreation and Human Services departments, a Public Works foreman and laborer and a technician in the finance office would be cut. The school budget would be reduced to a 1 percent increase.

The citywide tax rate would be “neutral” at 4 percent, Salomone said, and at a 5 percent cut, taxes would go down slightly citywide, depending on state revenues.

At a 5 percent cut, a second police officer, a Human Services case manager, a driver for Rose City Senior Center, a Public Works Department engineer and recycling coordinator and two clerks would be cut and swimming would eliminated at Spaulding Pond.

At that level, Norwich would withdraw from the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and would reduce both the school budget and the Otis Library budget to current levels.

Republican Alderwoman Joanne Philbrick said she reviewed the spreadsheets and has many questions for the city manager on Monday, including specifics on the tax rates associated with the cuts. Philbrick also questioned why police officers would be cut instead of other positions, and whether clerks in various city departments could shift from one to another during different busy times of the year.

Philbrick was adamant, however, that any tax increase would not be acceptable.

“We need to really have him explain this in a meaningful way,” she said.

Democratic Alderman H. Tucker Braddock said the 5 percent budget cuts would “cripple the city” and not provide services that a city the size of Norwich should have.

“You can keep cutting it and cutting it and you have no way to run the city,” Braddock said. “And we won't have any growth in our city. We talk about educating our children, and we talk about economic development. We keep cutting it and we won't have either.”

c.bessette@theday.com