Michele Smith remembers East Point's glory days.

When she was a child in the 1960s, the south Fulton County city was bustling with young families and plenty of good jobs at nearby factories.

"There was enough money for the city to just sort of coast along," Smith said.

Those days are long gone. Today, the city is trying to get its finances back in order after more than a decade operating in the red.

On Monday, the city manager is expected to outline to the City Council a plan to furlough all city employees – and possibly fire some – to deal with a projected $5 million to $8 million budget shortfall next year.

Under City Manager Crandall O. Jones' plan, each of the city's roughly 600 employees, including police officers and firefighters, would be required to take one unpaid day off during each two-week pay period for the next year, beginning July 4.

The days off would rotate to minimize the impact on city services, Mayor Joseph L. Macon said.

As word spread Friday, many residents said taking public safety workers off the streets is not a good idea.

"They shouldn't furlough employees. They should fire half the staff at City Hall," said longtime resident Dennis Maguire. "We don't need 600 employees for a city of this size."

Smith, a greeter at a local Chick-fil-A, has followed the city's years-long financial struggles, which included deficits for each of the past 14 years with the exception of the current one.

"They're going to have to do something," said Smith, 50, as she sipped afternoon tea at the Thumbs Up Diner in downtown East Point. "There's just been too many budget problems for too long. But we need more garbage collectors than paper-pushers at City Hall."

Residents are already paying higher property taxes, and city employees are paying more for their health care, to help balance East Point's budget. Macon said the current year's budget, which ends June 30, would be balanced, but would not provide specific figures.

Macon said police and firefighter schedules would be staggered to ensure enough workers are on duty to adequately cover each shift. "Public safety is our No. 1 priority," the mayor said.

Still, residents are not so sure.

A.J. Ray has lived in East Point all his life, since Herbert Hoover was president.

"No, no, I think it's a terrible idea," the 78-year-old retired election said when he heard about the furloughs. "They need to make cuts at the top, not with public safety."

Samuel Peters, 45, was more optimistic.

"At least they're not getting rid of them," Peters, a 10-year East Point resident, said of the police officers and firefighters. "They'll just have to spread themselves thin to make sure we're all protected."