HUTCHINSON, Kan. — After asking for major cuts to the budget, the Hutchinson City Council has asked department heads to find another $1 million in cuts, which could amount to about three percent.

The request came during the latest budget meeting held Tuesday. The city recently asked the departments to cut five percent from the budget requests after numbers showed the city with an ending balance of less than $900,000. The cuts further pushed that number to around $3.2 million.

But the city wants an ending fund balance of at least $4.1 million. The number is important because it gives the city wiggle room in case of natural disaster or a major disruption in services. It also keeps the city’s financial health in order as low cash reserves can create higher interest rates on bonded projects.

Some of the cuts proposed Tuesday included the elimination of seven positions. The cuts would include the Assistant City Manager job, currently held by Meyrl Dye, and the Downtown Development Director position held by Jim Seitnater. Seitnater will move into a position with the Planning Department while Dye’s spot will become an administrative job.

During the meeting, councilman John Daveline asked that 10 percent cuts be made to the golf course, the airport, the special street fund and the animal shelter, along with the elimination or reduction of support for outside agencies — including the United Way, the cultural fund, and the arts and humanities fund. The cuts represented about half of the money needed to close the gap. There was also talk of eliminating the recently revived Community Police Program. Troy Hoover said he could come up with cuts elsewhere to keep what he says is a vital part of the department.

In the end, the council left it up to department heads to try and find the other three percent. “If they don’t identify it, we’re going to,” Councilman Dave Inskeep said.

Most department heads countered by saying that this really comes down to what services the community wants and the number and types of amenities the city can afford as to where cuts are made.