Post by novillero on Jun 13, 2008 5:51:53 GMT -5
every one of 'em, in Fanwood.
Fanwood gives layoff notices to all municipal workers
by Mariam Jukaku/The Star-Ledger
Thursday June 12, 2008, 9:28 PM
Every municipal employee in Fanwood received layoff notices from the borough Wednesday in anticipation of major decreases in state aid.
As cities and towns in New Jersey, especially those with fewer than 10,000 residents, brace for drastic cuts in state aid under Gov. Jon Corzine's proposed budget, Fanwood has taken an unusual step in notifying all its employees of potential layoffs.
No decision has been made on how many of the 70 employees in the Union County town will lose their job, but by putting every employee on notice, town officials said they gain the flexibility to quickly cut as many or as few as they need.
Timothy McDonough, vice president of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, said Fanwood's decision to put every employee on notice of layoff may be unprecedented. He commends Mayor Colleen Mahr for tackling a problem other mayors will soon need to confront.
"I've spoken with dozens of mayors, all of them are proposing layoffs," said McDonough, who served as the mayor of Hope Township in Warren County for 17 years.
McDonough said the prospect of layoffs should make residents outraged -- not at the mayor or town council -- but at the governor for cutting aid to small towns.
"She's not grandstanding, she's not overreacting," McDonough said. "She's doing exactly what other towns will have to be doing (soon)."
The final decision about the Fanwood layoffs will be made in July, once the state Legislature passes the budget, but until then employees can only guess whether they'll have a job after Aug. 1, when the cuts are expected.
"It's a little hard to motivate people with that hanging over their head," said police Capt. Edward White, who hasn't seen a single layoff since he joined the 21-member police force 23 years ago. "The men are all amazed that every single employee could get a layoff notice."
But Mahr staunchly defended the notices, saying they served as a means to communicate to borough employees the "serious fiscal issues" facing the town. "We're not decimating the borough of Fanwood," she said. "Before we pull the trigger that affects people's lives (we want to give them notice)."
Read the full story in Friday's Star-Ledger.
www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/06/fanwood_gives_layoff_notices_t.html
Fanwood gives layoff notices to all municipal workers
by Mariam Jukaku/The Star-Ledger
Thursday June 12, 2008, 9:28 PM
Every municipal employee in Fanwood received layoff notices from the borough Wednesday in anticipation of major decreases in state aid.
As cities and towns in New Jersey, especially those with fewer than 10,000 residents, brace for drastic cuts in state aid under Gov. Jon Corzine's proposed budget, Fanwood has taken an unusual step in notifying all its employees of potential layoffs.
No decision has been made on how many of the 70 employees in the Union County town will lose their job, but by putting every employee on notice, town officials said they gain the flexibility to quickly cut as many or as few as they need.
Timothy McDonough, vice president of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, said Fanwood's decision to put every employee on notice of layoff may be unprecedented. He commends Mayor Colleen Mahr for tackling a problem other mayors will soon need to confront.
"I've spoken with dozens of mayors, all of them are proposing layoffs," said McDonough, who served as the mayor of Hope Township in Warren County for 17 years.
McDonough said the prospect of layoffs should make residents outraged -- not at the mayor or town council -- but at the governor for cutting aid to small towns.
"She's not grandstanding, she's not overreacting," McDonough said. "She's doing exactly what other towns will have to be doing (soon)."
The final decision about the Fanwood layoffs will be made in July, once the state Legislature passes the budget, but until then employees can only guess whether they'll have a job after Aug. 1, when the cuts are expected.
"It's a little hard to motivate people with that hanging over their head," said police Capt. Edward White, who hasn't seen a single layoff since he joined the 21-member police force 23 years ago. "The men are all amazed that every single employee could get a layoff notice."
But Mahr staunchly defended the notices, saying they served as a means to communicate to borough employees the "serious fiscal issues" facing the town. "We're not decimating the borough of Fanwood," she said. "Before we pull the trigger that affects people's lives (we want to give them notice)."
Read the full story in Friday's Star-Ledger.
www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/06/fanwood_gives_layoff_notices_t.html
