Many cities are making drastic budget cuts to deal with the recession.
But even in today’s economic climate, the city of Maywood took things a step further when it laid off nearly its entire staff, including its police force – it will instead contract with neighboring Bell for such services.
Maywood’s $10.1-million general fund budget has a deficit of at least $450,000, officials said.
As the LA Times reports:
[E]xperts who track California cities say Maywood is the only case they know of in which a city has dismissed all top positions except for the city manager, city attorney and elected officials. Under the plan adopted by the City Council on Monday night, council members would continue to be paid to set policy, but all services would be contracted out. “Most cities would generally maintain a certain workforce,” said Sam Olivito, head of the California Contract Cities Assn.
Unlike other cities, Maywood couldn’t file for bankruptcy because their difficulties lay not just in a deficit, but in their inability to get funding for their troubled police department, which also served Cudahy. The LA Sheriff’s Department will also pick up slack.
What used to be a devastated, vacant lot is now Los Angeles County’s first park with drought-resistant plants, permeable pavement, recycled materials for both park benches and tables, and solar lighting.
The park is just a little less than an acre, but offers fitness equipment and a walking trail, something Molina referred to as the community’s “very own fitness zone.”
But with the addition of private-public partnership housing, Molina felt it was necessary to add “green,” recreational space for neighborhood residents.
Safe Neighborhood Parks, and Coastal Protection Act of 2002, provided funds for the $2.1 million project.
