4/4/2009
Councilman Weiner supports County Executive's ultimatum to county unions: either accept pay cuts and/or furloughs, or else face layoffs - Delaforum.com

ADAMANT ABOUT IT: If no acceptable alternative is forthcoming "we will lay off 75 or more [county government] employees on July 1," County Executive Christopher Coons declared. "I do not want to do it," he said, but indicated there is no way around such a move. Negotiations with unions representing a majority of county workers are continuing, "but time is running out," he added. Coons gave no indication of where the talks stand beyond saying that "we are waiting for a counter-proposal" from the unions. Meanwhile, he said, departments have begun the process of determining which positions would be included in lay-offs.

In addition to eliminating or not providing financing for vacant positions in the proposed budget for the coming fiscal year, the Coons administration is looking to cut personnel costs by $4.8 million through either furloughs -- which it favors -- or lay-offs. It also is seeking a 25% increase in the property-tax rate. Coons said that, without changes in the county's revenue structure, the higher rate would hold for two or three years. However, "we cannot tax our way out of this [economic situation] and we shouldn't try [to]," he said at a meeting with officers of 'umbrella' civic organizations on Apr. 2.

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