Norwich — A 5 percent reduction in the current city budget for next year could mean no increase to the school budget, a cut of more than 16 city staff positions, no swimming at Spaulding Pond and delayed pension fund payments that could downgrade the city’s bond rating.

City Manager John Salomone drafted a series of budget cutting scenarios, at the City Council’s request, that could reduce the city budget by a range of 1 to 5 percent. The council asked for up to 5 percent reductions in this year’s budget to serve as next year’s proposed budget.

Salomone said Tuesday the spreadsheets marked “draft for discussion purposes only” provide scenarios for reaching the drastic budget cuts sought by the council but are not his recommendations.

“The budget I’m comfortable with is the budget I proposed,” Salomone said Tuesday, referring to the $126.87 million combined city and school budget released April 2. “Of course, I have to give the council options. My recommendations are the budget that I submitted. I’m not the policy maker. Ultimately, they have to decide what taxes the city can afford.”

Mayor Peter Nystrom said the 5 percent reduction level would be the "worst-case scenario" and called this spring's budget season even worse than last year.

The draft spreadsheets to be discussed at Monday’s 7:30 p.m. council meeting include projected boosts in some city revenues, including tax collections, recording fees and redirecting $30,000 in revenues from the Public Parking Commission, which has been operating at a surplus in recent years, the spreadsheet states.

The possibility of using $200,000 from the general surplus fund to offset taxes also is listed.

At the 5 percent reduction level, 16.85 city staff positions could be cut, including 9.35 projected layoffs in full-time and part-time staff. Four vacant police officer positions might not be filled and four officer positions could be eliminated, along with cuts to the animal control officer’s hours, reduced overtime, officer vacation replacement costs and a reduced number of public safety cameras.

Also at the 5 percent cut, the school budget could be flat-funded at this year’s $75.4 million level. The council and school board held a joint meeting Monday to discuss the school board’s request for a 9 percent, $6.88 million spending increase. School officials told aldermen they have few options to cut, with rapidly rising uncontrollable costs, such as tuition, special education and transportation.

At the 4 and 5 percent level, swimming at Spaulding Pond could be eliminated, and swimming hours could be reduced at a 3 percent budget cut.

Nystrom said the council could make changes to the listed cuts. He said the effort is driven by the council’s mandate that a tax rate of 50-plus mills in the central city paid fire district is “unacceptable.”

One spreadsheet shows how the various levels of cuts would affect projected tax rates. With just the increased revenue projections and no spending changes from the city manager’s proposed budget, the tax rate in the central city fire district would be 51.14 mills, and 42.15 mills in the volunteer fire districts.

With the new revenue numbers and a 1 percent spending reduction, the tax rate in the central city would be 50.67 mills and 41.78 in the volunteer district. The central city tax would drop to 49.81 mills at a 3 percent spending cut. At a 5 percent budget cut, the central city tax rate would drop to 47.51 mills, saving the average taxpayer $56.09 from the tax bill of $5,329.70 required in Salomone’s original proposed budget.

For the average residential taxpayer in the volunteer fire districts, the tax rate would be 42.15 mills with just the revenue adjustments, and 39.32 mills at a 5 percent spending cut, a savings of $123.47 from the $4,409.51 average bill under the city manager’s proposed budget.

c.bessette@theday.com