LORAIN — If the city can’t find additional revenue and employees refuse to take a pay cut, as many as 39 city workers will be laid off, Safety Director Phil Dore said Thursday.

The city sent letters Wednesday to the city’s five bargaining units asking whether those workers would consider taking a 7 percent paycut to offset a projected $530,000 shortfall for 2009. That’s on top of 2008’s $1.3 million deficit.

So far, the dispatchers have said no to the pay cut, Dore said, adding the other four bargaining units haven’t yet responded.

City officials plan to meet with all five units Friday.

Read Friday’s Chronicle for more on this story.