It seems that when one crisis calms down, another comes up.

As we have told you, South Bend property owners will pay $21 million less in property taxes by 2010. That means some major budget cuts are on the way.

The city faces an annual $18.2 million loss from the general fund and parks fund, as well as another $3.1 million from its tax increment financing districts, which fund economic development initiatives.

To make matters worse, 200 personnel will be cut over the next two years, including 53 firefighters and 40 police officers.

A number of parks' facilities and recreation programs will also be cut.

It's the cuts affecting children that really have people concerned, and they're asking "why?"

In a city the size of South Bend, families rely on parks, pools, and playgrounds -- especially with the high gas prices.

Parks Superintendent Phil St. Clair admits they have known for months -- since the passage of House Bill 1001 -- that money would have to be cut somewhere because of reduced property taxes.

As the announcement was made Monday, it became clear that this could really be a sad situation.

When two-year-old Rockne Horvath is at Howard Park playing, he's always ready to run around and have some fun.

"With that name, I'm hoping he grows up here learning about South Bend tradition," says his dad, Crag Horvath.

After looking at a list of possible places that could be closed, Horvath worries.

"Studebaker Golf -- learned to play there. Rum Village Nature Center -- we have our family reunion there every year," he says.

The list goes on. St. Clair had to break the news first to his staff.

Two-point-six million dollars must be cut from the budget over the next two years, including five or six full-time positions in 2009 and about 22 in 2010.

More possible cuts include one city pool per week in 2009, as well as half of the summer playground sites.

In 2010, the cuts look much worse:

• All city pools
  
• All summer playground sites
  
• Howard Park Ice Rink and Senior Center
  
• The city's greenhouses and conservatories
  
• Martin Luther King Jr. and Charles Black Sr. recreation centers
  
• Summer track and junior baseball programs
  
• Public rafting at the East Race Waterway
  

"I'm very concerned about the effects. We live in a time now where mentoring and being able to give resources to kids should be a high priority," St. Clair says.

What if the city can't find ways to address the shortfall?

"We'll go forward with the cuts. It was mentioned earlier by the Common Council to have a food and beverage tax," he says. "We may look at partnerships and a lot of different things we can do different in 2010, but I can assure you this: we are going to take this very seriously."

Horvath and his neighbor, Christine Kaminsky, certainly hope so.

"I couldn't imagine the difference in our lives if the parks weren't here. We're regulars," Kaminsky says.

"When kids don't have things to do, that's when they get into trouble," remarks Horvath.

These cuts are still just proposals, and not yet definite.

The Common Council asked St. Clair to give them more specifics at future meetings as to how much will actually be saved by the proposed cuts.