City of Tiffin announces more layoffs
Three police officers, four firefighters among latest cutsBy Kevin Risner, krisner@advertiser-tribune.com
The city of Tiffin announced additional personnel cuts this afternoon.
Tiffin Mayor James Boroff previously announced reductions in hours for some employees and an initial round of layoffs, including one police officer. Most of those changes were set to take affect about next Sunday. The latest announcement outlines a broader set of cuts, with the additional layoffs or pay reductions to take affect sometime between May 3 and May 17. In the case of layoffs of union employees, the city must provide 14-15 days notice before the layoffs can occur.
Boroff circulated a letter to city department heads and city employees with a list of the changes, those previously announced along with the additional reductions:
* All hourly employees, with the exception of those whose work hours are prescribed by federal or state mandate, have already had their schedules cut by five hours per pay period which calculates to be slightly more than 7 percent of their pay.
* All department heads and fiduciary employees are taking an indefinite 7 percent cut in pay starting Saturday or Sunday, but are to maintain their full-time work hours.
* All seasonal grounds keeping employees have been laid off.
* One part-time person in the finance office has been terminated.
* One part-time maintenance person in the municipal building has been terminated.
* One police officer is to be on a year-long furlough without compensation.
* Three additional police officers are to be laid off, making the total of four officers on layoff.
* One police clerk is to be laid off, effective June 6.
* Four firefighters are to be laid off.
* One public works employee is to be laid off.
* One Water Pollution Control Center employee is to be laid off.
Boroff said the municipal swimming pool is to still be open this summer. He said employees he has spoken with understand the recreational value of the pool and parks for young people in the community, even during financially difficult times.
Because the city pays its own unemployment benefits, there is to be a continued cost to the city for each employee laid off. Boroff said the city has calculated what the city is to pay for each employee it lays off.
The city should be able to save about $110,000 from the police department and about $110,000 from the fire department by the end of the year from the layoffs. The other layoffs are to provide savings as well. Boroff said it is important for the city to reach the end of the year with a carryover amount to begin 2010.
