Hillsborough to lay off 28; 92 more must reapply for their jobs

Hillsborough County will lay off 28 employees in coming months as County Administrator Mike Merrill continues to combine departments to save money.

A new department, Fiscal and Support Services-Public Safety and Community Services, is being created out of several divisions with 120 total employee positions.

Of those, 92 positions will be kept, but workers in those positions will have to reapply for their jobs. The remaining 28 employees will be laid off unless they can "bump" another employee in the department with less seniority.

The 28 positions being eliminated bring the total layoffs in county government this year to 92. In April and May, 64 county workers lost their jobs, 62 from Family and Aging Services, one from Fire Rescue and one from the library system.

The layoffs were expected as the county struggles with continuing declines in property and sales taxes due to the recession and stagnant housing market.

Human Resources Director George Williams said because the remaining positions will be in a new department, the county will recruit for the 92 positions.

County workers who held those jobs in their old departments will be given "serious consideration" in the process, Williams said, but external applicants will be considered if the county workers don't have the right skills for an opening.

"That's the only fair way we thought we could do that," Williams said.

Williams said more layoffs are planned through the rest of the fiscal year, ending Sept. 30. But there is no target number for positions to be eliminated.

County commissioners approved a voluntary separation incentive program on May 4. Eligible employees who opt to retire early will be paid 12 weeks salary, up to a maximum of $25,000, plus either three years of continued coverage by the county's group healthcare plan, or a lump sum payout of $10,000.

Employees eligible for the program are those with 30 years of service, or who are 62 or older with at least six years of county service. Also eligible are county employees in the state's Deferred Retirement Option Program. Employees in DROP can accrue retirement benefits while continuing to work for up to five years.

About 100 employees have signed up for the voluntary separation program and more are expected, said Christina Swanson, the county's benefits division director. The deadline to sign up is June 20.

Swanson said incentive program will save the county money because the position vacated by the early retiree can either be eliminated or filled by someone in a lower salary range. That will reduce the number of layoffs needed to balance the fiscal 2012 budget.

Merrill told commissioners the vacated positions will stay empty for at least three months, long enough to cover the 12 weeks salary payout.

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