A total of 156 city employees will be laid off as part of cuts to this year's budget, city officials said today.
Nineteen full-time employees and 132 part-time employees are being laid off effective Sept. 6, according to a statement from Mayor Jim Suttle's office. In addition, five contracted positions have been eliminated.
City employees were notified of the layoffs last week. Many workers will be able to seek other available positions within the city that are still funded in the budget.
The layoffs are part of an effort to make up an estimated $12 million shortfall in the 2009 budget. The overall savings as a result of the layoffs, as well as voluntary furloughs in the mayor's office, is estimated at $785,000.
The layoffs will hit numerous departments, including: parks and recreation, public works, library, police, fire, finance, human resources, planning and human rights and relations.
The largest numbers of layoffs occurred in parks and recreation, where six full-time and 70 part-time employees were let go. The Library Department layoffs affect five full-time and 55 part-time staff.
The mayor's statement said the layoffs would result in a reduction in city services. That includes library closings; reduced hours for libraries that stay open; a "dramatic reduction" in the mowing and maintenance of city parks through the end of this season; slower snow removal on trails this year; and fewer demolitions of condemned properties.
“We ask for the citizens to understand the need to make these cuts and we ask for patience as all city departments adjust to this reduction in staff,” Suttle said.
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