Budget Crunch Effects Kick In
Some early effects of recent layoffs and budget cuts include a foreclosure notice for one employee and the dislocation of groups that meet on Thursday evenings at the Plainfield Public Library.
The foreclosure notice was for one of 15 employees who lost their jobs last week. A second round of layoffs is predicted. Other employees were pushed out of jobs they held for years due to "bumping rights" that meant they had to be shifted to other divisions. The City Clerk's office lost experienced staffers at one of the worst possible times, as the office will be gearing up for the school board election, primary election and the annual liquor license renewal process, In addition, the clerk's office now has the duty of sorting City Hall mail.
This writer received an e-mail saying the Plainfield League of Women Voters can no longer meet on the first Thursday of the month at the Plainfield Public Library, as the library must close at 5 p.m. for budgetary reasons. Usually, several meeting rooms are busy that night. In addition, the Barack Obama Green Charter School has advertised board of trustees meetings on the third Thursday of each month, but will now have to regroup. Other organizations may also be affected by the early closing.
As time goes by, more and more effects will be experienced by the public and city employees alike. Those involved in the 2011 budget planning process need to hear about the scope of the effects of current budget cuts as they become known.
--Bernice
The foreclosure notice was for one of 15 employees who lost their jobs last week. A second round of layoffs is predicted. Other employees were pushed out of jobs they held for years due to "bumping rights" that meant they had to be shifted to other divisions. The City Clerk's office lost experienced staffers at one of the worst possible times, as the office will be gearing up for the school board election, primary election and the annual liquor license renewal process, In addition, the clerk's office now has the duty of sorting City Hall mail.
This writer received an e-mail saying the Plainfield League of Women Voters can no longer meet on the first Thursday of the month at the Plainfield Public Library, as the library must close at 5 p.m. for budgetary reasons. Usually, several meeting rooms are busy that night. In addition, the Barack Obama Green Charter School has advertised board of trustees meetings on the third Thursday of each month, but will now have to regroup. Other organizations may also be affected by the early closing.
As time goes by, more and more effects will be experienced by the public and city employees alike. Those involved in the 2011 budget planning process need to hear about the scope of the effects of current budget cuts as they become known.
--Bernice
posted by Bernice at 3:16 AM
8 Comments:
Thanks for the update Bernice. It's a shame Assistant Mayor Sharon obviously doesn't use the library or believe in providing quality basic services or she would have the done her job 9 months earlier and actually done educated and necessary cuts when it could have saved things like the library hours. Hopefully people will finally get mad and smart.
No one wishes foreclosure on anyone. But this person was laid off one day and went into foreclosure simultaneously? Does the bank have access to city personnel records?
If what I am hearing is that the people who remain at the city cannot do more than one job, then we have a major issue.
A clerk in City Hall may not know the process of another department, but to tell me that the person is incapable of transferring those skills to another area - well, fire that person too!
The mentality in government is astounding. Maybe this won't be so terrible. It will give people another perspective on their talents and skills, and who knows, they may even leave government to open their own business because they see their talents.
As for the library, the mayor does not go into the library. She has no clue the demographics of who uses the services or needs it. I am just grateful it can stay open.
@8:24, although I dont know the person whose house is up for foreclosure. I believe, once you know you are going to lose your job (3 month notice), you stop making payments on your home to save enough money to move. For everyone home that is foreclosed the community will suffer through tax cuts and lower home value. After saying that, it must be done. If you want to lose weight, you have to lower the calories you are consuming.
I guess it is just an assumption on my part but if the City Clerk;s Office now has to sort the city's mail, that would mean that the Mail Clerk was laid off. Probably the lowest paid employee in the City of Plainfield but instrumental in the communications process.
So if there is no mail clerk, that would mean that offices outside of City Hall (Police, Fire, Public Works, Offices within the Annex building, Sr. Citizens Center, Bi-lingual Day Care Center, etc.) will now have to have someone commute to City Hall at least once a day. If you add up the man hours of all that staff, it will probably exceed what the City is paying the mail clerk.
And who picks up and delivers the mail to the Post Office? So besides losing a staff person in the City Clerk's office, existing staff will have to sort City mail. Who will be postig the outgoing mail for the Post Office? Sound like a few hours a day will be lost just for mail services.
Seems to me that changing this to a part time position would have proven to be a better choice.
Tony,
If the person is saving money to move, why not put that money toward the mortgage and go to the bank and work something out?
Also, unfortunately, I know people who are being foreclosed upon, and it takes about 16-18 months before you leave the house. So, this person has not been making payments for a very long time. Way before they knew they were losing their job.
I didnt know it took that long. Then yes they must have been underwater for a long time. Personally, I would save the money to relocate. Chances of getting a job paying what you earned before is bleak. There arent any good paying jobs here. Property value continues to decline and taxes are increasing. Everywhere you look the reputation of the city is being slammed (Director of Public Safety, Superintendent, City hall). Wow, my text is looking depressing *smile*.
Bernice
The important point that needs to be made is that there are now going to be 2 times the number of layoffs than would have been necessary if the budget had been adopted on time.
Projected salary savings for the entire fiscal year now have to be achieved in just 4 months.
In an attempt to forestall the pain of seeing our city workers lose their livelihoods, it has been exacerbated instead.
Randy
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