Get ready for a bumpy ride, Louisville.

Because of budget cuts to Louisville's Public Works department, it's going to take hours longer to salt and plow your roads during snowstorms, and even longer to fill the potholes winter weather creates.

The cuts are just the latest reality following Metro Council's rejection of Mayor Greg Fischer's proposal to raise revenue to deal with rising pension costs.

Brian Funk, Public Works' assistant director, said Wednesday that the roads division would be losing nine positions in the upcoming fiscal year on July 1 — seven from the east district and two from the west.

That reduction in personnel will have an "absolute impact on the safety of our roads" during snowstorms, he said.

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Right now it takes about five hours to salt roads, but in the new fiscal year, Funk expects it to take about seven hours to get that work done.

Plowing, too, will see an increase from about 10 to 12 hours for each pass, to about 14 hours on each pass.

And when it comes to potholes, the agency is looking at revising their policy, to go from a 48-hour response time for reported potholes to a 96-hour response time, or about four working days.

The department also plans to stop proactive tree trimming on rights of ways, moving to a more "reactive" approach that responds only when problems are reported, as well as to cut back on mowing and collecting litter on both state and Metro rights of ways.

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Funk's agency and others across the city face budget cuts in the upcoming fiscal year that total $25.5 million, to fill what was estimated to be a $35 million shortfall caused largely by increased pension costs set by the state.

Mayor Greg Fischer had pleaded with council members to pass an insurance premium tax hike to plug the budget hole, but the measure failed in March, forcing him to present the budget full of cuts that he'd warned of for months.

His proposal is now before the Metro Council, which could tweak spending levels or adjust cuts before an expected vote on June 25. Some members, for instance, have expressed interest in sending additional dollars to public safety and library budgets, though that would entail making cuts elsewhere.

The reduction in east and west roads district personnel is expected to save the city $575,000, according to the mayor's budget proposal.

The agency would also eliminate its contract for suburban street sweeping and move from weekly to biweekly recycling and yard waste collection, for more than $600,000 in additional savings.

Darcy Costello: 502-582-4834; dcostello@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @dctello. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/darcyc.