Philadelphia cuts budget even more

    Police overtime gets slashed but libraries are spared. Firehouses would be shutter on a day-to-day basis.

    Mayor Michael Nutter has announced another $27 million in cuts on top of the $20 million he and City Council agreed to in May.

    The reductions are certain to be controversial. The police department must eliminate $6.3 million from its overtime budget. Firehouses will be closed on a rolling basis. That means that, on any given day, four to five stations will be shut.

    The cuts also call for wiping out an ambitious plan for planting street trees.

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    City officials warn matters could get worse once contracts are finalized with white and blue-collar public worker unions. Those employees have been working without a contract for a year.

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