Citing continuing budgetary shortfalls and efforts to streamline City processes, Mayor Pete Lewis on Dec. 30 announced fresh layoffs and the reorganization of the police department, Auburn’s planning and public works department and administrative changes.
Effective Jan. 1, 22 positions were eliminated, 14 of them through layoffs.
“Only 14 were actually laid off, the rest were through attrition or not filling positions we had budgeted for,” said Brenda Heineman, Human Resources Director for the City of Auburn.
“Just like small business across the country, city governments must balance budgets and make difficult decisions,” Lewis said.
Here is where the layoffs were made:
• Police: two police officers; one professional standards coordinator.
Heineman said the City originally anticipated laying off seven officers but was able to save five officers for the next three years through a COPS grant. If the City hopes to retain those five officers afterward, it will have to find a permanent source of funding.
• Parks, Arts and Recreation: cultural arts manager; parks planning and development manager; one registration clerk.
• Planning: One planner; one senior planner; one development services specialist.
• Public Works: one senior projects engineer; one administrative support supervisor.
• Finance: one accounting assistant.
• Mayor’s office: multi-media manager; economic development manager.
• Maintenance and Operations: one maintenance worker; one office assistant.
In the first round of layoffs last March, the City cut 24 positions.
“Letting people go is the last thing I want to do,” Lewis said. “The measures that the unions, the city council and department directors have been able to take saved a lot of positions and programs, but we could not save them all. This is a very tough thing to have to do.”
Among the significant layoffs were Cultural Arts Manager Laurie Rose and Economic Development Manager Dave Baron. Lewis said the arts commission and popular arts programs such as BRAVO! will continue despite the loss of Rose.
“I also know who is going to be doing the job of economic development manager in the meantime – me,” Lewis said. “I’m going to be wearing a lot of different hats.”
Long undertaking
Lewis explained the process.
As the City continued to watch the economy falter, Lewis called in the department directors more than three months ago, with a list of 47 positions.
“Forty-seven, that’s where we started, and it came down from there. A large part of it was because almost all of the employee groups but one, which was the police guild, agreed to do some things,” Lewis said. “Most of our contract groups were in the last year of their contract, and they had a guaranteed 3-percent pay increase involved in that. We were trying to find a way that the non union people would not be made to take an overwhelming part of the concessions.
“So what the finance directors started working out was a different kind of a furlough. It said, ‘You are going to get a 3-percent raise, and you are going to get it regardless of whether you are in a contract group or not. We’re asking you to give part of that back in 40 hours worth of furlough time, added to your vacation time, and we’ll subtract 1.96 percent of that cost from every one of your paychecks, so you actually get a raise of 1.04 percent.’ All of our groups did that, except the police guild. We had asked them to change medical insurance plan to a new plan this year instead of in 2011. It would have saved the city about $175,000, and they did not agree,” Lewis said.
Along with the layoffs, Lewis said, the City also will make significant changes and improvements in the development review process that the Planning and Development and Public Works departments use. Development engineers and planners from both departments will be combined to integrate the development review and permitting process and create more of a “one-stop” service for citizens and developers.
“The end result should be more effective and efficient problem solving,” Lewis said. “We will now have engineers, planners and permitting folks working as a team to provide seamless customer interaction.”
New titles, divisions
Interim Planning Director Kevin Snyder will oversee the newly-formed Planning and Development division. Public Works Director Dennis Dowdy will lead a department that consists of Maintenance and Operations, Capital Projects and Utilities. Police Chief Jim Kelly will announce changes to his department in early January.
The administrative staff will consolidate the Community Services and Communications divisions. Michael Hursh will become the Community Services Manager and oversee human services, neighborhood services and cultural diversity programs. The Communications Division will become the Public Affairs division lead by Dana Hinman, who will become the new Public Affairs Manager.
