NORWOOD — Whole departments could be slashed and simple city services such as garbage pickup could carry a price if voters don't renew an 8-mill levy on the May 7 primary ballot, city officials say.

        Council members will stress the importance of the five-year levy at a 3 p.m. Saturday session at Norwood Community Center, 1810 Courtland Ave.

        They worry that residents living in Hamilton County's second-largest city don't realize how vital the levy could be in the tough financial times ahead.

        “We're not in a position to do without this money,” said John Fenton, a finance committee member.

        “We'd like to wean ourselves from this, but it takes a long term of discipline. We have to get our act together. Honestly, the city has been living beyond its means for five to six years.”

        The 8-mill levy will generate $1.9 million for this year's $18.9 million budget and help finance the city's operating expenses.

        The tax costs the owner of a home valued at $84,000 about $196 a year, and that amount won't increase if the levy is renewed.

        “It's a renewal. It's not going to cost the taxpayers any more” than they've been paying, said Police Chief William Schlie. “If that does fail, we're going to be hurting.”

        Voters originally approved the “emergency” levy in 1987, when the city was devastated by General Motors' departure. City officials had hoped to let the tax expire eventually, but now is not the time, they said.

        The city has been strapped with paying back street-improvement loans and financing an above-average number of annual retirement packages.

        Those problems left City Council members looking at a potential $2.2-million deficit when they sat down in February to begin working on this year's budget. Not since 1987 had the city's finances looked so grim, said Mr. Fenton and Joe Sanker, finance committee members.

        Council members already had combined and dropped positions and began considering other cuts. They shrunk the potential deficit to $1.3 million and then learned the city would receive a $1.6 million windfall from Anthem Inc.

        They wanted to use the money for a “rainy-day” fund, but instead used it to balance the budget.

        The city will be looking at a $3-million deficit in 2003 if the levy is not renewed, said city Treasurer Tim Molony.

        In 1997, 1,130 residents voted to renew the levy and 701 voted against renewal.

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