news-record.com

GREENSBORO - At the end of several more big moves for Guilford County - layoffs, a deputy county attorney's resignation and word of possible furloughs - commissioners are speaking on what those mean for the budget and for communication.

The layoffs, which weren't announced, could cut $2 million from the county budget. News of the decision emerged after a request by the News & Record for a memo from interim county manager Brenda Jones-Fox .

How the layoffs came to light has some commissioners riled about communication among board members, with some saying the county is run by a handful of commissioners and administrators.

"My problem is all the board is not being informed," Commissioner Paul Gibson said Friday. He said he didn't hear about potential layoffs ahead of time, and other commissioners said they knew layoffs were coming.

Those concerns about communication arose on a board run by Chairman Melvin "Skip" Alston and Vice Chairman Steve Arnold , who want no property tax rate increase for the 2009-10 county budget.

Alston has also said he would improve communication among board members and provide the public with more information on county business .

"I don't know that we have to announce it to the public, that we're doing a layoff or not, but if you find out about it, then you find out about it," Alston said Wednesday . "I don't feel that we have any obligation to let the public know."

Alston, Arnold, Jones-Fox and human resources director Sharisse Fuller comprise the group that several commissioners said are driving the county.

Commissioners expect to cut a potential property tax rate hike in 2009-10 by half through one-time cuts: offering early retirement to eligible county employees and cutting a bond sale from $232 million to $164.6 million . Now they want to cut about $12 million more from the budget.

Arnold and Alston say they are looking closely at all departments for cuts in hopes of defraying an increase in the property tax rate that would see the owner of a $200,000 home paying $100 more in taxes next year .

If the cuts continue, property owners could see no tax rate increase.

"The county is being run well. It just looks tough when some of the people are being let go," said Commissioner Bruce Davis , who admonished Jones-Fox for not releasing news of the layoffs to the public.

Thirty-five county positions were affected. Commissioners contend county services won't be affected. Two positions moved to other departments, and 10 active employees were laid off. Most cuts came in public health, but the county's economic development director job, held by Rob Bencini , was cut along with a watershed engineer and a deputy inspection director.

Bencini did not return messages Friday .

Commissioners including Arnold and Billy Yow said no specific employees were targeted. They said Jones-Fox compiled the cuts after consulting with department directors.

Arnold said he sat in on some of those talks. Commissioner Billy Yow said he's made it no secret that some positions and employees, such as Bencini, weren't making him happy.

"While in the past I have had a strong opinion about some of the employees and it looks like some of them are being answered, it's just a matter of basic needs," Yow said after the layoffs were publicized.

Meanwhile, the county's criteria for determining those layoffs remains unknown.

Jones-Fox has not returned multiple messages left at her office this week.

A memo from Jones-Fox, obtained through another document request, showed she is asking department directors to consider creating unpaid days off. And deputy county attorney Michael Newby resigned this week.

The county's part-time interim attorney, David Smith , has not returned messages left in his office seeking comment.

Another deputy attorney could be brought in as soon as next week.

Gibson said that he's OK with the money-saving moves but that he's out of the communication loop.

"I read in your paper that sales taxes are going to go down $8 million," Gibson said, referring to a comment this week from Arnold.

Gibson said he would prefer a work session for commissioners to catch up on the state of the county.

The 11-member Board of Commissioners could start reviewing the budget in mid-March.

Contact Gerald Witt at 373-7008 or gerald.witt@news-record.com