{JUST THE IDEA OF A DISCUSSION..BRINGS CHILLS TO EVERYONE..}

Youngstown councilwoman Carol Righetti says the very idea of layoffs in city government "brings chills to everyone."  Still, she is crediting the mayor and his staff for laying out the city's rather bleak financial picture for the next two years -- one that could show a deficit of $4-to-5-million dollars by the end of 2009.

Mayor Jay Williams blames the problem on the sluggish economy, saying the city's income tax on business profits is lagging.  While officials project the city will end this year in the black, without significant changes as many as 60 people could lose their jobs this summer to balance next year's budget.

For now, council and the administration will take a closer look at spending.  The mayor admits talking about job cuts a year before he would run for another term in office could have its risks, but says acting new is "the responsible route."

Still, Righetti remains optimistic any layoffs can be minimized.  For now, the next move for city council will be to approve it's annual budget covering the rest of this year.  That must happen before the end of this month.

In the meantime, the mayor and councilwoman tell us officials will be sitting down with individual departments, to see where spending might be trimmed -- hoping to avert the threat of cutting jobs.