METHUEN, Mass. — Dozens of Methuen Police officers were issued layoff notices as part of budget cuts Thursday, according to Methuen Police Chief Joseph Solomon.
Solomon posted on Twitter that the city had issued 50 layoff notices to officers and three K9's Thursday.
A very sad day in #Methuen as the City issues 50 layoff notices to officers and 3 K9s. A debilitating blow to public safety not only in Methuen but the entire Merrimack Valley. A level funded budget to last years... https://t.co/GFcSBR68SV
— Joseph E. Solomon 🇺🇸 (@ChiefSolomon) January 24, 2019
"A debilitating blow to public safety not only in Methuen but the entire Merrimack Valley," Solomon wrote of the cuts.
>>PREVIOUS: 50 Methuen police officers could be laid off as part of budget cuts
The prospect of laying off 50 officers comes amid debates over pay raises for superior officers.
Solomon wrote that a "level funded budget to last year's level is all that is needed" to prevent the cuts and to "ensure public safety."
The Eagle-Tribune reported Mayor James Jajuga was going to ask the City Council to restore the $1.8 million it cut from the police budget last summer. The city will run out of money to pay the department at its current staffing levels in March if the council refuses.
In order to prevent the city from deficit spending — which is illegal in Massachusetts for anything other than snow removal — officials said dozens of patrolmen will need to be laid off to keep the books balanced.
The funding resolution requires a majority of six of the nine councilors.
>>PREVIOUS: City of Methuen, police union sign agreement on lower officer salaries
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