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Rowlett reduces its workforce
By Kenny Green, kgreen@acnpapers.com
Mayor Harper unhappy with reductions
The city of Rowlett workforce will be shrinking by five full-time positions after the announcement of Reduction in Force layoffs was made by Rowlett City Manager Lynda Humble.
The layoffs are the result of an expected shortfall to the city’s budget.
“We will have to eliminate five positions and expect to notify those affected this week,” Humble told the council during its Feb. 28 special session.
Rowlett Mayor John Harper does not agree with the reductions.
“I am deeply troubled by them trying to save the money on the backs of five employees and their families,” Harper said.
He said that the issue had never been discussed among the council, or if it had he was not part of the discussions.
“If the council members discussed it, it was not in a public forum and thus a violation of the open meetings law,” Harper said. “It was never discussed. I don’t know how we can arrive at a decision without any disclosure.”
He added that he could not support the city trying to balance its budget on the backs of five people, when there are other expense cuts and options that have yet to be discussed by the city council.
“One of the ideas I had is using furlough days to offset the cost,” Harper said.
He said he had planned to present this alternative at a March 19 meeting of the city council but the meeting was cancelled due to lack of support from council.
“I expected any cuts to be discussed at the March 19 meeting and now there is no meeting,” Harper said.
Harper said he plans to share his ideas about the way the city should be cutting costs at the Rowlett TEA party’s monthly meeting at 3 p.m. on March 19 at the Rowlett Public Library.
“It is very clear to me that we have to reduce operating expenses because we have less income coming in,” Harper said. “My position is to look at all of the expenses and reduce them.”
He added that he believed there should be more of a shared sacrifice between the employees and the citizens. Harper said that the recent cuts to the city’s retirement system were not enough and plans to show what he calls a “rich retirement system” to the TEA party attendees during their meeting.
“We have a potential shortfall of millions and they saved a couple of hundred thousand and they call that a success; I am troubled and concerned by that,” Harper said.
The eliminated positions within the city’s organization include Donna Shaw, accounting specialist I; Gloria Santoya, Action Center customer service representative; Wes Ferrell, building inspector II; Donna Huerta, communication manager/PIO. The last position to be eliminated is administrative assistant of public works, which is currently vacated and being filled by a temporary employee.
Huerta said she would be retiring as a result of the layoff.
All employees impacted by the reduction in force were notified March 3 in an effort to provide them with as much time as possible to find other employment. There will be an organizational realignment that affects several other positions within the next few months.
Harper said that he fears the loss of these positions will also negatively affect the quality of city services the residents receive.
“I am not in favor of anything that reduces city services. Our residents already have been paying one of the highest tax rates for a long time and deserve good service,” Harper said. “When we disrupt these five positions it will lead to a disruption in service.”
Employees affected by the organizational realignment were notified March 3 as well.
“I want to emphasize that the decision to eliminate these positions has nothing to do with the quality of service or commitment that these employees have provided to the city of Rowlett,” Humble said via e-mail. “These decisions were reached after careful thought and deliberation in an effort to make strategic decisions that will ensure the sustainability of the organization and to guarantee our ability to continue serving our citizens.”
As part of the efforts to further save the city money, reorganization will take place within the city’s action center.
Senior Action Center customer service rep Amy Delaisse will become a part-time employee at her request. Administrative assistant Carrie Wilson will be transferred from the city secretary’s office to the city manager’s office and assume additional duties, including providing full-time customer service in the action center.
After reviewing the responsibilities and job duties of the communications manager, the city will create a coordinator position to fit within the city’s new pay system. The new position will be a marketing/public affairs coordinator position.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
honky214 wrote on Mar 12, 2011 10:38 PM:
" Ok the mayor said it was never mentioned or talked about the reduction in force, if you go back and watch the work session in the end of january, the city manager clearly says to the whole counsel about the reductions and yes the mayor was there, and at the Feb 27 meeting were it was voted on he voted also and new about it. Also the mayor says "If the council members discussed it, it was not in a public forum and thus a violation of the open meetings law" form what I have heard is that the mayor has been sending emails to certain counsel members and not all of them and you cannot pull a open records request for those because he CC the city attorney there fore makes it a legal document that cant be asked for, Also the mayor says "He added that he believed there should be more of a shared sacrifice between the employees and the citizens. Well city employees received a 3% cost of living increase in 2007, the Fire Department was not included in this, they have a pay scale that has been accepted but not implemented, the next time the city will look at this is around 2015, so the Fire Department will have not had any increase for cost of living for a total of 8 to 9 years, talk about a sacrafice employees are making, and know wanting to cut there retirement more. If the mayor of our city has his way, he will pay the employees a base salary and have them go out and get there own benefits, Go take a look at what he has done for the Cooper Institute, cut jobs, salary , raises, He's a head hunter and thats what he is doing to the city, "
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