With little discussion Tuesday night, the Santa Maria City Council unanimously approved pay cuts for all municipal workers.

Beginning Dec. 19, every city employee will see their salary and benefits sliced by 4 to 5 percent.

Council members were united in thanking city employees for their part in helping the city navigate difficult financial waters.

"It just shows the type of people Santa Maria has working for her," Mayor Larry Lavagnino said.

Councilwoman Hilda Zacarias echoed those comments.

"We do sincerely appreciate that," Zacarias said.

A Mandatory Time Off (MTO) program calls for 13 unpaid days - the third Friday of every month plus Veterans Day.

City landfill workers have agreed to an alternate time-off schedule of holidays and selected Sundays. The landfill, 2065 E. Main St., is usually open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week. Under the plan, the landfill will be closed on selected Sundays.

Some sworn positions - such as police and fire jobs - are not eligible because someone would have to work overtime to replace them. In lieu of that, holiday pay concessions have been negotiated for those workers.

The city last required employees to take unpaid time off in 1994 - another period of financial difficulty for the city.

The city sought salary concessions for 2010 because of an ongoing recession, lower revenues, and a budget deficit. The plan is meant to save the city $593,500 through June 30, 2010 - the end of the current fiscal year.

Officials say the measures will save $1,187,000 for the 2010 calendar year.

Salary concession negotiations with the city's three employee bargaining groups - the Santa Maria Police Officers Association, the Santa Maria City Fire Fighters' Union Local 2020 and Service Employees International Union Local 620 - were handled by Assistant City Manager Rick Haydon.

Santa Maria is the only city in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties to have all employees agree to reduced pay for 2010, Haydon said. Further, there will be no pay or benefit raises - other than merit increases - in 2010, City Manager Tim Ness said.

Public safety managers, non-represented full-time management and confidential employees have also agreed to slash their pay by either 4 or 5 percent.

Ernest Armenta, the only speaker in public comment, criticized the POA for seeking a ballot measure that would set salaries and benefits for Santa Maria Police Department employees based on an area average.

Daniel Vegezzi, SEIU Local 620 president, was the only representative of the three bargaining units in the audience. He did not address the council at the podium.

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Effective Dec. 19, all city workers in Santa Maria will see their salary and benefits shrink by 4 to 5 percent under a plan to save the city $593,500 through June 30, 2010 - the end of the current fiscal year.

For the 2010 calendar year, the city expects to save nearly $1.2 million.

The Memorandum of Understanding amendments and extensions - set to expire at midnight Dec. 17, 2010 - for city unions include:

n Service Employees International Union (SEIU) - A 5 percent salary cut for all General Fund-related positions. SEIU-represented employees in the park services officer program and landfill workers have agreed to 4 percent reductions. The pay cuts will occur through unpaid furloughs known as the Mandatory Time Off (MTO) program - 13 unpaid days that will be the third Friday of every month plus Veterans Day.

SEIU Local 620 represents 300 full-time and part-time general employees in the technical, mechanical, maintenance, clerical and supervisory classifications.

n Police Officers Association (POA) - A 5 percent salary cut for non-sworn employees, except dispatchers, and

4 percent concessions for sworn personnel and dispatchers. Remaining employees will participate in the MTO program.

The POA represents 135 of the

160 full-time police department employees. The union speaks for non-sworn, full-time personnel assigned to communications, service technicians and the crime lab and all sworn personnel except the police chief and two police commanders.

n Fire Fighters Union (FFU) - A

4 percent salary cut for all shift personnel and 5 percent salary cuts for non-shift workers. Non-shift employees will participate in the MTO program, while shift employees have agreed to concessions in holiday pay.

The FFU represents 45 full-time employees, all sworn fire personnel, except chief officers

Also, city public safety managers - two chiefs (police and fire) and two police commanders - will participate in the MTO program. Three fire battalion chiefs have agreed to 4 percent concessions in holiday and time-off benefits. Non-represented full-time management and confidential employees have agreed to 5 percent salary cuts through participation in the MTO program.

Planning Commission and Parks and Recreation Commission members will see their compensation shrink from $75 each meeting to $71.25 - a 5 percent cut.

Council members have also given up 5 percent of their salaries - $997.50 a month from $1,050 a month.