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Humbug! Sheriff warns of Dec. 26 layoffs
YOUNGSTOWN
Mahoning County Sheriff Randall A. Wellington has notified the Fraternal Order of Police that he may lay off ranking officers in his department, effective the day after Christmas, due to an expected cut in next year’s budget.
The layoffs would be in the FOP’s 28-member gold unit, which includes sergeants, lieutenants and captains.
The sheriff notified the FOP on Friday to allow 24 days before the Dec. 12 issuance of layoff notices. During the 24 days, the union and management can meet to discuss the impact of the layoffs and alternatives to them, the notice said.
Under the FOP contract, any layoffs require two weeks’ notice to those being furloughed.
The letter notifying the FOP does not specify the number of layoffs being contemplated, but Wellington said that he may be able to reduce or eliminate layoffs if the gold unit makes concessions.
Charles Wilson, FOP senior staff representative, said the sheriff proposed 14 gold-unit layoffs at a bargaining session two weeks ago.
Wilson said the union is willing to take significant concessions, including a 30 percent overall compensation cut for unit members, benefit concessions and elimination of overtime.
Wilson said he hopes to meet again with the sheriff and his command staff Tuesday.
“To think that you’re going to get rid of half your command staff and not have a significant impact on that operation is unrealistic,” Wilson said. The minimum-security jail closed earlier this year, but the main jail still has 400 inmates, he noted.
“I would wish that the sheriff would come out and clearly explain to the public what’s going on with that operation,” Wilson said.
In the blue unit for nonranking deputies, 66 deputies were laid off this year and 30 last year. The sheriff now has 237 employees.
The sheriff’s letter to Wilson said: “The reduction of gold-unit personnel may result in displacement and layoff of blue-unit personnel.” It didn’t say, however, how many more blue-unit personnel might be displaced or furloughed.
The sheriff said Friday’s layoff announcement is focused on the gold unit because that unit has had no layoffs last year or so far this year.
“Their salaries are much higher than the blue unit,” and that equates to greater cost savings through furloughs, Wellington added.
The base annual salary, without overtime, is $51,250 for sergeants, $58,937 for lieutenants and $67,778 for captains.
“The new budget starts the first of the year,” the sheriff said, explaining the timing of the proposed new layoffs, which would take effect Dec. 26.
By agreement with the FOP, sheriff’s department employees had been taking 10-percent pay cuts through an unpaid day off every two weeks, but that arrangement expired June 30 and hasn’t been renewed, the sheriff said.
Wilson said the command staff hasn’t proposed renewing that because it finds that it is impractical to run the jail with a reduced staff taking floating holidays.
The sheriff spent $17,348,732 in 2009. His budget for this year is $15.5 million. He said he didn’t know next year’s figure, but that it would be less than this year’s. The county commissioners have not adopted a 2011 budget yet.
The county budget commission, however, has certified next year’s general fund revenue to be $51,412,860, compared with $53,094,744 this year.
The general fund, upon which the sheriff’s department depends, is the county’s main operating fund.
Because of the recession-induced revenue shortage, which stems primarily from a sales-tax revenue shortage, the budget commission reduced this year’s revenue estimate from $57,057,678 in March. The budget commission comprises the county auditor, treasurer and prosecutor.