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County prepares to cut jobs

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By KEVIN WIATROWSKI

kwiatrowski@tampatrib.com

Published: July 3, 2009

Pasco County's government workers are bracing themselves for layoffs.

In a memo to his staff, Pasco County Administrator John Gallagher announced preparations for cutting jobs as the county tries to close a $35.7 million gap in its 2009-10 budget.

"This is a whole new process for all of us, as I told the employees," Gallagher said Thursday.

The layoffs apply to workers employed by the county commission. The county's other elected officials control their own staffing.

The proposed layoff process will give priority to length of service, favorable evaluations and special skills, according to the memo circulated among county workers. About two-thirds of the 2,100 workers have served 10 years or less.

The county plans to offer early retirement to those interested in it, Gallagher said.

commissioners are likely to approval layoff procedures when they meet July 14. Layoffs could take effect with the new budget, but there is some flexibility, Gallagher said.

regardless of the final budget outcome, jobs will be lost, Gallagher said. A more precise picture of the scope of the job losses should become clear after the county's first public hearing on the new budget in September, he said.

Following their budget workshop last month, some commissioners suggested the budget ax could fall hardest on secretaries and support personnel.

As they look ahead to years of reduced budgets, commissioners are trying to determine what role the county government should play in its citizens' lives. Polls show strong support for basic services such as police and fire protection and less for libraries, animal control and social services.

For a county government that has been growing for decades, the current budget situation is proving a difficult pill to swallow. County officials got the first bitter taste of things to come last year when a drop in construction led to deep cuts in the permitting and inspection offices. Many found jobs elsewhere in the county.

Reporter Kevin Wiatrowski can be reached at (813) 731-8168.

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