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