The Sycamore City Council discussed ways to cut spending for the FY2009-2010 Tuesday.

Another option, brought up by 1st Ward Alderman Rich Neubauer, was to consider authorizing no wage or salary increases for city employees.

“When we talk about not having any wage increases for next year, I’m okay with that,” Neubauer said. “I also work in the public sector. The reality is even without a wage increase, my standard of living is going to get better because inflation is going down.”

Third Ward Alderman Gregory Taylor is considering laying off one person from four different city departments.

“We should seriously consider some layoffs,” Taylor said. “We could mix out some positions that we can effectively do without.”

City Manager Bill Nicklas said even with layoffs, spending would still need to be decreased.

“If one person from each of the collective bargaining groups and management groups would be laid off for at least a year, there would still be a need to allocate something from our general fund reserve,” Nicklas said.

First Ward Alderman Alan Bauer remains optimistic and said everybody in the city will make it through tough economic times.

“We will pull together as long as we stay with that,” Bauer said. “I think we can save off on any cuts. The employees will come to the conclusion they need to pull the rope together. If there’s no raise in salaries, then the jobs won’t be cut.”

Public Works Director Fred Busse said Sycamore has only used about 800 tons of salt this year which is less than previous years.

“We have at least 500 tons more sitting in the shed,” Busse said. “And just to reach 70 percent level with the state, we need to purchase about another 800 tons.”

Busse said if the city does not purchase an additional 800 tons of salt, the city will be charged for it anyway. Busse also said there is no issue with the salt availability.