Reading City Council continues to plow through the mayor's budget and look at where cuts can be made to deal with a $15 million shortfall. The finance committee has been meeting twice a week for the last month to review the budget line by line.

  
>> The council's finance committee has now finished reviewing the budget line by line, but there are still items to be discussed before they can vote on it. 

>> REPORTER: People are rallying about the cuts to the libraries. And city council members say they have heard their concerns. 

>> Marcia Goodman-Hinnershitz: The cut that the city proposes to make will have catastrophic effect on the entire library system that can't happen we can't have that amount cut and shut all the libraries come January. 

>> REPORTER: But they realize that money has to come from somewhere. And are looking at everything. 

>>Jeffrey Waltman: We just need to get through them and say this is where we are at this is how much money we got these are the big items we want to talk about. 

>> REPORTER: They'll be pulling together their short lists for Saturday and they plan on listening to the chiefs of fire and police to hear how they'll handle the proposed cuts of 45 positions. 

>> Goodman-Hinnershitz: We need to know how those cuts are going to impact the safety the city. 

>> Waltman: How are you going to protect when it comes to fire and police make sure we turn every stone to facilitate that. 

>> REPORTER: They have found some money that contradicts the adminstration's numbers. 

>>Managing Director Ryan Hottenstein: We're going on estimates that we use that come in about half way through the year so we have to forecast where we are going to be moving forward and what we are anticipating. 

>> REPORTER: But council is concerned about unemployment benefits the city will pay if so many layoffs are made. 

>>Goodman-Hinnershitz: And see how they got to that amount, I think it's underestimated but until I see the formula I'm not going to really know that that's an item that needs further discussion . 

>> They'll meet on Saturday to meet with fire and police chiefs and will hear from the city's managing director about unemployment. Next week they'll get a full report from the city auditor. And their goal is to vote on the budget by November 16th in a special meeting, a week earlier than their original deadline of the 23rd.

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