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Petaluma lays off 15 employees


By PAUL PAYNE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Monday, October 6, 2008 at 8:50 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, October 6, 2008 at 8:53 p.m.

The Petaluma City Council on Monday laid off 15 employees, put City Hall on a four-day work week and slashed non-essential programs in parks and recreation to balance a general fund budget that was hard-hit by shrinking tax revenue.

The cuts, approved on a 5-0 vote, come two weeks after a dozen layoffs in the Community Development Department that officials said were prompted by a building slowdown.

Council members haggled over some details of the $36.8 million spending plan, but mostly agreed the cuts were necessary to help close a $2.1 million gap.

“Nobody wants to layoff anyone,” Councilman Mike O’Brien said. “But economics dictate what we must do.”

Two-week notices will go out today. Eleven of the employees being let go are from Public Works, three from the Police Department and one from the Fire Department.

They include street maintenance workers, custodians, an animal shelter assistant, a fire inspector and a police lieutenant, among others. Several were eligible for early retirement incentives, also approved Monday.

The council froze an additional 11 positions, including six unfilled police officer spots.

Other measures will start Nov. 1, including closing city offices on Friday and moving to a 36-hour work week for all but police and firefighters. The shorter work week requires a sign-off by labor unions.

Council members also agreed to cancel their afternoon sessions, meeting only at night. And the city will look into the possible sale of several surplus properties to build its budget reserves.

The city swim center on East Washington Street, usually open for 34 weeks from March to October, was cut to 17 weeks, roughly from May to September, for a savings of about $184,000. Next year, the pool will not open until June.

“It’s a tragedy for Petaluma, said Jason Zajonc, coach of Twin Valley Aquatics, which has 80 members. “I feel bad for all the kids. It’s another local resource that has evaporated.”

The city’s bleak financial picture emerged earlier this year when officials determined they had overestimated tax revenue in the weakening economy while underestimating expenses, largely in employee payroll.

Personnel costs are about 80 percent of the budget, City Manager John Brown said.

The city dipped into reserves as the fiscal year ended in June and postponed adoption of a new spending plan until new revenue projections were developed.

With a forecast of continued declines through 2009, department heads were asked to make recommendations for cuts of up to 30 percent.

Layoffs and program reductions that offered the biggest savings were chosen to produce a budget that is about 15 percent smaller than the previous year’s, Brown said.

The layoffs save a combined $1.6 million, Brown said.

“The whole thing hangs together on the bottom line,” Brown said. “What we’ve tried to do is spread the pain evenly.”


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  1. barbwantsin says...
    October 6, 2008 9:16:39 pm

    RE: Link
    Ok, so how many worker's are out on the streets on the weekends removing garage sale signs from the posts around town? How much money is going out with two people to a truck? One to drive, the other to jump out and remove the signs. I see this every weekend.
    How about putting the over time in at night? Maybe some of the street lights that have been out for years with turn on again.
    Or how about the park employee's who pull in to the lot, rake 3 maybe 4 leaves, walk around for a bit (15 minutes) throw the rake in the truck, not the leaves and drive off. Oh and here's another one, water dept. guys, carrying a 24 pack of beer into the house, two hour or more lunch..........
    The Sheraton? Have they paid back the loan yet?
    You make cutbacks at the Police Dept.????
    The planning dept.? How long will it take to get a permit for a fence or a roof now? Average time wasn't fast enough, who's pulling the load? If contractor's can't get their permits, you don't get the tax money.
    Just what wage is the person making that makes all of these decisions?

    I live here, I want answers.
    Vote the whole team off this November.

  2. nacosta says...
    October 7, 2008 4:03:10 am

    Many company's are laying off to adjust to economic conditions. City and state government is no different and should adjust also. there's always been abuse its time to cut the fat.

  3. pagan40 says...
    October 7, 2008 6:08:43 am

    trim the fat? FYI: 30% does not come out to half of the community development dept. being laid off. when the bean-counters and politicians screw up, it's always been the real people who pay the price. remember that someone died because of this. i don't know how the petaluma city council and new c.m. can sleep at night with all that blood all over their hands. bunch of phoneys. their little fantasy world is coming down around their ears. terrible management.

  4. mbarton says...
    October 7, 2008 7:36:26 am

    Once again we see where cuts come when money is tight - at the bottom of the food chain. Cutting custodians and animal shelter assistants really doesn't do much to address the bottom line. How about some management layoffs? Wouldn't it make more sense to cut a few higher paid positions and consolidate? It has become very clear that management, even poor management, is bullet proof while the rest of us just pray we get thru another day with a roof over our heads.

  5. newpatriot707 says...
    October 7, 2008 8:10:53 am

    Wow! A government body actually making the tough decisions, just like in the real world! Somebody pinch me.
    I agree with mbarton, it would be refreshing to see some of the personnel cuts being made higher up the food chain.
    pagan40 - I'm truly sorry that a person chose to take their own life, suicide is such a selfish act. Now take your meds and go hug a tree.

  6. linden says...
    October 7, 2008 8:21:28 am

    Sounds like they are laying off workers and not the people who are talking all day and doing nothing in there cubicals. Have you ever been to a city or County office? Its like they are all chatting away and doing nothing. If I Bullshitted that nmuch at my job I would be out of work. The permit process has become an absolute Joke in this county, They have more crap than any place on earth. Environmental Assessment, School Fee, Title 24, Don't get me started on Fire, A firefighter cant even get his lazy ass out of a truck and open a gate, If you take plans to a building dept. These people comb over a set of plans and point out stupid things that any Contractor would know they need to do anyway, but they hold it up for months on end power tripping over there authority. Nobody can build here anymore its too much of a pain in the ass. It takes years to get a permit, and by the time you get the shovel in the ground you will be broke from all if the ridiculous fee's they charge, Yet were does all this money go? How can they be Broke, I will tell you they have created too many specialized jobs for all these people and its about time they lay off and get back to the basics. Work for the people and help get Permits instead of Pushing you authority and playing games. I have no sympathy anymore.

  7. yourcountyworker says...
    October 7, 2008 5:47:52 pm

    im just wondering how many of the board members are making over 100k a year and why do they deside there own pay

  8. The Big Dog says...
    October 7, 2008 6:16:32 pm

    If you are referring to the Petaluma City Council, since this thread is about Petaluma, the council members get $5 per meeting, plus reasonable expenses.

    Thats it.

    Or perhaps you mean we should be looking to the civil service department heads making $100K and more per year plus benefits?

    Just clarifying.

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