Monday was another day of tears and goodbye hugs at Atlanta City Hall.

Atlanta human resources officials conducted the last scheduled round of employee layoffs.

Mayor Shirley Franklin announced Wednesday that she was laying off 441 city workers and eliminating 347 vacant positions as part of her plan to balance the fiscal 2008-09 budget, which has a projected $140 million shortfall.

Franklin also has proposed a property tax increase to raise $40 million to help address the shortfall for the budget that starts July 1. Some City Council members have said they will try to find other ways to cut $40 million from the budget to avert a property tax increase.

Former Atlanta code enforcement officer Robert Stovall, 47, who was laid off Thursday, said he felt let down by the city.

"I chose to commit to the city, but the city chose not to commit to me," Stovall told council members during their meeting Monday.

On Monday, city officials laid off workers in Atlanta's information technology, finance, procurement and human resources departments in closed-door meetings in the old City Council chambers. The city is eliminating 91 positions in those departments.

Most employees let go Monday declined to talk with reporters. One city worker wrapped her arm around a laid-off colleague who wiped her eyes after getting the bad news. Another teary-eyed worker embraced a woman who was told Monday was her last day of work.

Franklin told reporters Monday the city is helping laid-off employees find other jobs.

"It is depressing because they haven't done anything wrong," she said. "They're being laid off because there's a shift in priorities and because of the financial obligations that the city has."

Walter Skinner also was let go Monday. He was hired in December 2004 and worked as a senior accountant in Atlanta's finance department.

Skinner, 56, said he was resigned to being unemployed. He said he would look for another job.

"There's no need to jump up and down," he said. "We'll have to move on and do what we have to do."