William S. Montgomery, the chief of staff for Mayor James M. Baker, said in a statement Wednesday that he "was deeply concerned that some level of layoffs and service reductions will be warranted."
The News Journal reported that he asked department leaders to come up with ways to trim their budgets by the end of the week. Layoffs could be coming because he noted that personnel costs represent 64 percent of the city's budget.
Council President Norman D. Griffiths said "there's just no other way you can get there unless you release some of those jobs."
The city has 1,153 employees.
Information from: The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal, http://www.delawareonline.com
