Facing a $535,000 shortfall for the 2012 budget, it seems very little is off the table for the City of Niles in terms of potential cuts, including public safety.

Niles City Police Chief Ric Huff, who will take over as city administrator for retiring Terry Eull in September, said his proposed police budget includes the elimination of two police officers. One of those positions will be eliminated by not replacing ex-Niles cop Ivery Cross, who was sentenced to five to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting an inmate.

The position of police captain is the other position potentially on the chopping block, according to Huff.

The police department had 19 officers on staff, until Cross was fired. If the proposed budget goes through, there will be 17 full-time officers. Five years ago, there were 22 on the force.

Huff said he has submitted his proposed budget to the city council and is awaiting its approval.

“Our budget is compliant with the guidelines from the city council,” he said, adding he was fairly confident the budget will go through.

Huff said the loss of two officers will have its impact on the police department.

“I’m pretty confident it will reduce officer staffing per shift,” he said. “It will probably affect response times on non-emergency calls.”

But Huff said he remains confident the department will still be able to do its job.

“The key for the police department is that no matter what funding or staffing levels we’re authorized, it’s our responsibility to provide quality service,” he said. “We’ll still be there quickly for emergencies and will stay committed to offering the best services possible.”

Eull painted a grim picture of the budget during a city council committee of the whole meeting two weeks ago. He said the city can expect the loss of about $300,000 in state revenue sharing, combined with a more than $200,000 deficit in the current city budget.

Other potential cuts discussed at last month’s meeting included road repairs, the summer parks program, the Fort St. Joseph Museum and the Downtown Development Authority.

The city must pass a 2012 fiscal year budget by the end of August.