Six Antioch police officers will keep their jobs until at least March 1, as the Antioch Police Officers Association has decided to extend concessions agreed upon in 2009 for another month and a half.

Budget cuts called for layoff notices of six cops to be sent out on Jan. 2, but the prospect of donations from the public and concessions from the APOA pushed that date back first to Jan. 21 and now to March 1.

APOA president Tom Fuhrmann is pleased with the way things are moving along, noting that the two sides could come to a firm and final agreement by the end of the month. “We’re continually making forward progress,” Fuhrmann said. “We’re optimistic that we’re going to be able to work through this.”

Fuhrmann plans to meet with city officials later this month, after City Manager Jim Jakel returns from vacation.

Earlier this month, Jakel was informed that roughly $50,000 in donations from the community might be in the offing. Antioch Auto Center President Tom Nokes has agreed to match whatever donations pour in from the community, up to $100,000.

The six layoff notices were supposed to be sent out after Jakel was authorized by City Council to slice roughly $700,000 from the budget in December. According to Jakel, even if the current concessions stay in place for the rest of the year, Antioch must find a way to close a budget deficit of about $1.27 million by the end of the fiscal year, June 30.

Police services account for about $26.2 million of Antioch’s $38.2 million, bare-bones budget.