But to pay those officers, keep up with road maintenance and have enough money in reserve, voters are being asked to increase the income tax rate by a quarter percentage point.

"It's not about what we are doing - it's about what we're not doing," City Manager Pat Clements said. "Cuts in other areas are just going to spread the shortfalls around."

The proposed change would raise the income tax rate from 1 percent to 1.25 percent, generating an additional $1.3 million each year. It would be the first such increase in more than 30 years.

More than $500,000 of that would be used to boost police staff and resources. The city would use about $475,000 to maintain and replace more roads.

The city also intends to put aside enough cash in reserves to support 181 days of operations. Current projections show the city only has enough money for 41 days.

The last time the city proposed increasing the income tax - the single largest source of revenue for the city's general fund - was in 2002. But voters then said no to the idea of increasing the rate from 1 percent to 1.5 percent.

"I do believe it's necessary," said resident Frank Fay, a 39-year-old father of two who attended a recent town hall meeting on the issue. "If it doesn't happen, the third strike is going to be much harder."

It's unknown what additional cuts the city would have to make if the tax increase fails.

"There's a lot more we'd like to do," Councilman Norm Dreyer said. "But if (the proposed increase) passes, we're happy campers for a while."

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