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County lays off 29 more workers

Saturday, March 28, 2009

(Updated 6:54 pm)

By Gerald Witt
Staff Writer

GREENSBORO — Guilford County’s budget cuts included a total of 75 jobs and more than $4 million in salaries by the end of the business day Friday.

The latest cuts included 40 jobs across departments such as tax, transportation, purchasing and planning, according to a Friday announcement.

This round of layoffs eliminates $2.1 million in salaries, cuts 29 active employees, eliminates 11 vacant positions and takes effect by Dec. 31.

“We are going to bring about efficiency and accountability in Guilford county,” said Board of Commissioners Chairman Melvin “Skip” Alston, “and we’re not going to burden taxpayers with people who have a full day’s pay without the full day’s work.”

Since Alston became chairman of the Board of Commissioners in December, his mantra has been to tout efficiency in government and create a budget with no property tax rate increase for 2009-10.

Hitting the no-tax-increase goal would involve cutting $20 million to $24 million from the budget. The county is roughly halfway there, with about $12 million in one-time savings added through previous layoffs, cutting a bond sale total and offering early retirements. With those savings, the expected property tax rate increase for the owner of a $200,000 house could be about $50.

And cutting the budget further could include even more layoffs, Alston said Friday.

The latest cuts follow those in February that dropped 35 county positions, $2 million in salary expenses and cost the county’s top economic development position, a nurse, a watershed planner and other positions.

All told, the $4.1 million in cut salaries and benefits for county employees equals about $20 in property tax for the owner of a $200,000 home.

In this latest layoff, nine active tax department employees and eight active planning workers will lose their current jobs. Some employees may be eligible for other county jobs.

For the tax department, in particular, a reduction in demand for labor can be connected to an automated check-processing system the county began using this year.

“That would be one of the areas where we had to make cuts,” said Commissioner Carolyn Coleman about the tax office.

In the planning department, which loses two inspectors and a plans examiner, several commissioners have said that since the economy is slow, so is the planning office.

Interim county manager Brenda Jones Fox makes the final decision on those cuts. She was unavailable Friday to comment.

This round of layoffs was anticipated, but had been expected to occur early this week. Alston said the affected employees had to be notified first. Using a formal news release to announce the layoffs is a departure from the county’s first round of cuts, which was only discovered after a public records request by the News & Record.

Some of the conversations leading to the cuts may have involved suggestions made by commissioners at closed-door budget meetings held by Fox. Those meetings may have violated the states’s open meetings law.

Elected officials are not allowed to direct policy regarding public funds without public oversight.

Under the cuts, Guilford County also will lose the person dedicated to handling contracts for minority- and woman-owned businesses.

“It’s certainly not something that makes me happy,” Coleman said. “As you know, we fought to get that position two years ago.”

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

Accompanying Photos

Margaret Baxter (News & Record)

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kikablue

March 27, 2009 - 6:45 pm EDT

So Guilford County is letting 40 people go saving $ 2.1 million dollars in salaries. Well it looks like a lot of pockets are going to get full with the NEW RAISES they'll be giving themselves, while 40 people are out of work. Join the club people of the unemployed.

StealYourFace

March 27, 2009 - 7:07 pm EDT

Really, Guilford County? We desperately need some REAL leadership! The best solution Guilford County can come up with is "Fire 'em!". As a taxpayer, I'd rather pay a little more taxes and ensure that we keep folks employed. Finding a way to do that in this economy would show TRUE leadership and a real sense of caring for our fellow citizens. Firing staff is not going to help our local economy. I know everyone will say, "But government workers get paid TONS of money to DO NOTHING" (this is crap) Sure, there are probably ways to streamline government. My experience shows me that our local government workers are hard working, dedicated, great folks. It is unfortunate that the "political powerplay" results in good folks losing their jobs. All this so that Skip and Steve (and the other Commissioners to some extent) can "look good" for election time. How can we, in good conscience, give MILLIONS of dollars in incentives to businesses and then terminate County employees? I hope we can find REAL leaders before it's too late. We're already the laughing stock of the state. This just reinforces that!

rmacz

March 27, 2009 - 9:13 pm EDT

I thought Obama's plan was going to save jobs and stimulate the economy. Washington has added 250,000 jobs to the government. There was supposed to be hope and change. I guess alot of change while he keeps funding to kill babies (abortions). Please keep us informed if any of these facts are lies.

superwoman

March 28, 2009 - 8:16 am EDT

How is it explained that the cuts made in the tax department will benefit this county? There have been the same number of employees in the High Point office since 1971 (actually 1 less)...population has tripled in High Point since then. Sure the "automated" processing system has cut down on the amount of mail going to the tax departments directly but it has caused issues with payments not being applied in a timely manner, payments being applied to the wrong accounts, etc. That system was NOT something we as tax payers got to vote on and I am sure the department did not ask the employees to vote on it either. If you think that county employees are paid "lots of money" you need to look at the work load as well as the income. Would you want to deal with 8 full hours of us angry taxpayers 5 days a week?...truthfully...so now with that department being hit the hardest, the lines will be longer, the phone lines will be backed up even more and I am sure it will be hard for them to have smiling faces for having to walk on pins and needles waiting on their fate to be determined by a "higher power".

newkid

March 28, 2009 - 8:51 am EDT

"Elected officials are not allowed to direct policy regarding public funds without public oversight."

Sounds like we have some impeachable offenses by local elected officials. If we don't break this cycle of "private club" leadership--where policy is made in secret, elected officials act as administrators, etc.--local government will continue to flounder.

Theo

March 28, 2009 - 12:15 pm EDT

I guess the County has less customers now?????

Panacea

March 28, 2009 - 4:45 pm EDT

newkid: Don't know if Guilford County has an impeachment law. But a recall, now that's a different matter.

scribonz

March 28, 2009 - 10:15 pm EDT

Recall? The two commissioners that are driving this train wreck come from districts that have elected them for life. They have both had numerous shady business dealings for years and have always operated in a rogue like manner while on the board, never showing any regard for what might be best for the county as a whole. Yet each election day they usually run unopposed. This is really tragic that this county can't find better leadership during such a critical time.