Omaha cuts 156 jobs to help balance budget

Regional News

Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) _ Nebraska's largest city has laid off even more employees than it initially planned to as part of an effort to deal with a projected $12 million budget shortfall. Omaha officials say 156 jobs were eliminated as part of the cuts that were first announced earlier this month. That includes 19 full-time jobs, five contract positions and 132 part-time jobs. Mayor Jim Suttle says the cuts will hurt city services, but he hopes residents will understand. The Parks and Recreation department and Omaha's libraries lost the largest numbers of employees. City parks will be mowed less often, and libraries will likely reduce their hours of operation. The city estimates that the job cuts, along with voluntary furloughs, will save about $785,000.