Showing posts with label layoffs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label layoffs. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Metro Council OKs budget; schools get bulk of new money
By MICHAEL CASS • Staff Writer (Tennessean) • June 18, 2008
Metro Nashville will start a new fiscal year next month with an almost $1.58 billion budget that pumps new money into schools but makes it tougher to catch a bus or make a living as a city employee.
The Metro Council voted unanimously Tuesday for the 2008-09 operating budget, which will take effect July 1, after considering Mayor Karl Dean's recommendations for almost three months. The available funds will be only slightly more than this year, reflecting conservative revenue estimates in a tight economy.
Metro schools, Dean's top priority, will get $22 million more, an increase of more than 3.6 percent. But most other departments will receive less money, and almost 30 city employees will be laid off.
While as many as 200 workers could have been laid off, "that's not a consolation to those 30 families and individuals," said Councilman Erik Cole, who led the council through the budget process.
The remaining employees won't get an across-the-board pay raise to help cope with rising gas prices or grocery bills. And people who ride several Metro bus routes won't be able to anymore because of the city's own struggles to pay for diesel fuel.
Councilwoman Vivian Wilhoite said she was disappointed that some Metro firefighters would see their jobs "rolled back," or reduced in stature and pay. She said council members were reneging on a commitment to public safety.
"I can't see how we can live with this," Wilhoite said.
Cole acknowledged that the budget reflects some "very painful" choices. But he said he was proud the council could put its stamp on the spending plan by shifting $1 million to the Metro Transit Authority so there will be fewer cuts in bus routes. Dean's proposal would have cut MTA by $400,000; now the authority will gain $600,000.
"To be able to do one major priority was a real success," Cole said
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Mayor's budget plan cuts 200 jobs
Few departments to get more funds.
By MICHAEL CASS • Staff Writer (tennessean) May 7, 2008
Metro Nashville's budget is expected to increase slightly in 2008-09, edging toward $1.6 billion.
But rather than adding a job here and a job there, the city will lay off 200 people and eliminate 127 vacant positions if the Metro Council approves Mayor Karl Dean's budget recommendations.
Most Metro departments would receive less money in the next fiscal year, which starts July 1. The school district, Davidson County Juvenile Court and some programs for the homeless would get more, however.
Mark Naccarato, political director and spokesman for the union that represents many Metro workers, said Dean seemed to be "robbing Peter to pay Paul" by boosting schools' funding 4.8 percent at the expense of some employees.
"We think you can do both," Naccarato, with Service Employees International Union Local 205, said Tuesday. "It's about priorities. … What these people do is important to the city. You get what you pay for."
Metro Finance Director Rich Riebeling said he and others in Dean's administration tried to limit the cuts to jobs that aren't involved in providing direct services to the public. Riebeling also said many of the 200 people who would be laid off would land in other Metro jobs.
"Technically, it's still a layoff, but the good news is that they won't be without a job," he said.
Whether those people will still make as much money remains to be seen, Naccarato said. SEIU represents more than 2,500 Metro employees, including some who work for the school district, he said.
Erik Cole, chairman of the Metro Council's Budget and Finance Committee, gave Dean and Riebeling credit for "an extraordinary job" of balancing competing priorities in a tight year. But he said the job cuts were his biggest concern.
"At this point, my inclination would be that if we do something (to adjust Dean's budget), it would be to try to ease the pain of the layoffs," Cole said.
School funds to increase
Metro schools would be the biggest winner under Dean's plan, reflecting his consistent statements that education is the city's top priority. The district's budget would increase by about $29 million, including about $10 million in state money, to reach $627 million.
It's not yet clear where the new money would go, said David Fox, chairman of the Metro school board's Budget Committee.
The school district is under great scrutiny from state education officials after years of failing to meet federal standards, and the state could take over the district if its performance continues to lag.
School board members are getting input from the state on how they should spend the additional money to address the district's most pressing needs, Fox said.
"We've been in a lull for a month," he said.
The Davidson County Juvenile Court's budget would increase so the court could start another education-related program, a $500,000 truancy center. The center would take teenagers who regularly skip school and work to get them back on track educationally.
Dean also would increase the budget for the city's homelessness commission by 18 percent, pushing it to $1.15 million. There would be more money for direct health care for the homeless and a $110,000 software package to help city and nonprofit agencies better manage and avoid duplicating services.
New jobs found elsewhere
Metro Human Resources Director Dorothy Berry said her office has placed at least 40 to 50 layoff victims in new jobs, mostly within the government. She said she expects to be able to place "a large number" of the eventual 200 victims.
But Berry acknowledged Naccarato's point about the possibility of reduced salaries.
"You can't guarantee everybody's going to stay whole when you're doing a reduction in force," she said.
By MICHAEL CASS • Staff Writer (tennessean) May 7, 2008
Metro Nashville's budget is expected to increase slightly in 2008-09, edging toward $1.6 billion.
But rather than adding a job here and a job there, the city will lay off 200 people and eliminate 127 vacant positions if the Metro Council approves Mayor Karl Dean's budget recommendations.
Most Metro departments would receive less money in the next fiscal year, which starts July 1. The school district, Davidson County Juvenile Court and some programs for the homeless would get more, however.
Mark Naccarato, political director and spokesman for the union that represents many Metro workers, said Dean seemed to be "robbing Peter to pay Paul" by boosting schools' funding 4.8 percent at the expense of some employees.
"We think you can do both," Naccarato, with Service Employees International Union Local 205, said Tuesday. "It's about priorities. … What these people do is important to the city. You get what you pay for."
Metro Finance Director Rich Riebeling said he and others in Dean's administration tried to limit the cuts to jobs that aren't involved in providing direct services to the public. Riebeling also said many of the 200 people who would be laid off would land in other Metro jobs.
"Technically, it's still a layoff, but the good news is that they won't be without a job," he said.
Whether those people will still make as much money remains to be seen, Naccarato said. SEIU represents more than 2,500 Metro employees, including some who work for the school district, he said.
Erik Cole, chairman of the Metro Council's Budget and Finance Committee, gave Dean and Riebeling credit for "an extraordinary job" of balancing competing priorities in a tight year. But he said the job cuts were his biggest concern.
"At this point, my inclination would be that if we do something (to adjust Dean's budget), it would be to try to ease the pain of the layoffs," Cole said.
School funds to increase
Metro schools would be the biggest winner under Dean's plan, reflecting his consistent statements that education is the city's top priority. The district's budget would increase by about $29 million, including about $10 million in state money, to reach $627 million.
It's not yet clear where the new money would go, said David Fox, chairman of the Metro school board's Budget Committee.
The school district is under great scrutiny from state education officials after years of failing to meet federal standards, and the state could take over the district if its performance continues to lag.
School board members are getting input from the state on how they should spend the additional money to address the district's most pressing needs, Fox said.
"We've been in a lull for a month," he said.
The Davidson County Juvenile Court's budget would increase so the court could start another education-related program, a $500,000 truancy center. The center would take teenagers who regularly skip school and work to get them back on track educationally.
Dean also would increase the budget for the city's homelessness commission by 18 percent, pushing it to $1.15 million. There would be more money for direct health care for the homeless and a $110,000 software package to help city and nonprofit agencies better manage and avoid duplicating services.
New jobs found elsewhere
Metro Human Resources Director Dorothy Berry said her office has placed at least 40 to 50 layoff victims in new jobs, mostly within the government. She said she expects to be able to place "a large number" of the eventual 200 victims.
But Berry acknowledged Naccarato's point about the possibility of reduced salaries.
"You can't guarantee everybody's going to stay whole when you're doing a reduction in force," she said.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Fewer Layoffs Expected In Metro
Channel 5 News
May 5, 2008 08:33 PM CDT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A few months ago, Mayor Karl Dean announced that massive budget cuts could cost 200 Metro employees their jobs.
Now, it appears the number of layoffs will be lower than initially expected.
Metro Public Works and Parks and Recreation departments stood to lose the most employees, but now that's changed.
A number of employees set to be laid off are finding other jobs within local government.
Human resources director Dorothy Berry said her job is difficult as she tries to find new employment for what began as some 200 Metro employees.
Metro Council members such as Jerry Maynard have the final say on a tight budget.
The next few weeks will be intense as departments try to meet a late June budget deadline.
"It will entail reviewing all of the departments' budgets," Maynard said. "It will entail determining what our priorities are."
There are disagreements over who to let go and how to spend the money. A fire department plan to cut some employees salaries is already raising eyebrows.
"But the chief has made a decision and made a recommendation to us that you rollback some positions instead of laying some people off," Maynard said.
Metro may be able to work out their budget issues, but the so-called wildcard in this whole situation is the state budget.
The state budget hasn't been finalized and it impacts the local budget, Maynard said.
According to Gov. Phil Bredesen's office, the governor may reveal his budget plans sometime this week. It could include some layoffs.
The Tennessee Funding Board discovered last week that the state could have a budget shortfall of $585 million next year.
Bredesen has not yet indicated how many state's employees could face layoffs.
As for the Metro's budget, council members continue their budget hearings Tuesday. The council has until the end of June to adopt a new budget plan. If not, Dean's proposal automatically goes into effect.
To see Video Click Here
Friday, April 11, 2008
Public Works, Planning to lay off staff
Metro Public Works expects to lay off 30 to 40 employees to absorb a proposed 8 to 9 percent budget cut, the department's director confirmed Thursday.
Director Billy Lynch said Public Works officials had started meeting with employees who might lose their jobs and offering them help in finding new work.
Mayor Karl Dean's budget proposal for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1, includes about 200 layoffs of city employees.
The Metro Planning De partment told two of its approximately 45 workers Wednesday that they would be laid off, spokesman Craig Owensby said.
Public Works has 437 employees. Lynch said he didn't think losing 7 to 9 percent of his work force would affect the services the department provides.
"I do not think people will be able to visually see the reduction because of the way we're going to organize our trucks and equipment. Our main focus is customer service."
— MICHAEL CASS
mcass@tennessean.com
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