Garbage will be picked up only once every two weeks and morethan half of city-operated health clinics will be closed if aldermendon't approve a $79.9 million property tax increase, mayoral aideswarned yesterday.
Mayoral chief of staff Ernest G. Barefield delivered thedoomsday budget-cutting predictions as the Washington administrationtried to step up pressure on the City Council to enact the taxincrease next week.
Insisting that the only plausible solutions to the city'sfinancial woes are massive layoffs or Washington's proposed propertytax increase, Barefield outlined the effect of 40 percent cuts on theHealth Department and Streets and Sanitation Department.
Barefield said there would be similar announcements about otherdepartments during the next several days in advance of Wednesday'sCouncil meeting. Proposed cuts in fire and police services will berevealed today, he said.
Washington, who spent yesterday in Mexico City on an officialtrip, has vowed to fire 11,000 city employees if the Council doesn'tback him and immediately balance the budget.
Ald. Roman C. Pucinski (41st), one of the leaders of theCouncil's anti-administration bloc, accused Washington of trying to'terrorize this city into believing everything's going to come to astandstill.'
'Barefield is sandbagging,' Pucinski said. '. . . Frankly,there's no need for this.'
Washington's staff insisted he is not bluffing.
'Believe me, we really take no pleasure in pursuing this courseof action,' Barefield said. 'If there were a way to avoid it, we'd bethe first to reach for it.'
Streets and Sanitation would lose 1,796 workers under thereductions, while the Health Department would eliminate 257 -including 47 doctors.
The two departments would account for $15 million of the needed$79.9 million savings.
John J. Halpin, streets and sanitation commissioner, said thecuts would lead to a 'drastic situation' in the city's alleys.
Although the department would switch initially to garbage pickupevery two weeks, Halpin said his workers probably would fall behindschedule as refuse stacked up.
'There's no way to keep up with it,' he said.
And when that happens, there will be a danger from rats, hesaid, adding that the rodent control bureau also would be eliminated,except for three two-man emergency units.
Halpin said he fought the proposed layoffs in meetings withBarefield but was now in agreement that there were no alternatives.
In the Health Department, Washington would close 10 of thecity's 19 community clinics and six of its 19 mental healthfacilities. In addition, two centers for handling sexuallytransmitted diseases and one tuberculosis control center would beshut down. Most of the facilities serve primarily the poor.
Decisions on which clinics would be closed will be made later,Barefield said.
'The mayor believes he is doing what's in the best interests ofthe city and its citizens,' Barefield said. '. . . Apparently, theCity Council has decided that the citizens of Chicago would preferdrastic reductions in services over a property tax increase.'
Pucinski said he believes the property tax increase isunnecessary and there is no need to rush.
'We have October, November, December to work out a plan. Thereis no magic to Sept. 24,' Pucinski said of next Wednesday's meetingdate.
The crisis was created when the courts struck down a commerciallease tax approved by the Council, then voided the $79.9 million inproperty taxes that Washington advanced as a substitute. The courtsruled that no proper public hearing had been held.
When the mayor tried to get approval of the tax increase asecond time, he was deserted by a usual ally, Ald. Burton Natarus(42nd), and could not muster the necessary 25th vote to allow him touse his tie-breaking power.
