HAWTHORNE : Cash-Strapped City Finds a Way to Pay Employees

The City Council decided Wednesday against furloughing city employees when City Manager Todd W. Argow announced that the cash-strapped city had scraped together enough money to pay city workers next Thursday.

The city, reeling from a $10.5-million budget deficit, has a $4.8-million stack of bills and Argow had projected that the city could not pay its employees.

Argow on Friday had proposed cutting all nonessential city services and furloughing employees for one month, sending shock waves through the community. City employees and residents packed City Hall during several special meetings on the budget cuts.

Argow said Wednesday that he had underestimated revenue. Argow also expects the payroll due on Feb. 23 to be met as a result of income that includes a tax advance from the county of about $800,000.

To bolster the city’s finances, the council voted unanimously to raise towing and parking fees, eliminate their own stipends and close the city youth camp through June. The savings is expected to be almost $400,000 for the city’s general fund.

Council members postponed closing the city pool after Charles Bookhammer, a former councilman and now a city liaison for Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, pledged $25,000 to help offset operating costs.