Clayton mulls layoffs, furlough

Clayton County officials are recommending layoffs and mandatory furloughs to more than 2,000 county employees to help keep the county afloat.

On Tuesday, Commission Chairman Eldrin Bell released a fiscal year 2010 budget that calls for a 14 percent cut in money budgeted for personnel. That includes two furlough days a month for the county’s 2,042 full-time employees.

Even with the furloughs, some employees will lose their jobs, Bell said. He could not say how many nor how the layoffs will affect services.

“I recommend furloughs across the board,” Bell said. “But it’s not enough. They [the commission] can either embrace the layoffs or raise taxes.”

The proposal also includes cutting all open positions and eliminating raises. The personnel cuts will save the county $13.5 million, Bell said.

The proposed 2010 budget is $158.9 million — $9.6 million less than the 2009 budget.

The commission will vote on the final budget on June 30. A public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. June 23.

The only way county employees will keep their jobs and current salaries is if the commission approves a tax increase — something commissioners have been reluctant to do.

“I don’t want to raise taxes because the citizens have suffered severe job losses, furloughs on their own jobs and housing problems,” Bell said. “To add additional tax burden will put all of the suffering on their shoulders. I think it is only fair that we spread it out across the board.”

Bell said he has already cut the budget by $14 million-$16 million, but the county still needs to slash expenses. Other proposed cuts include fewer routes on the C-TRAN bus system and delaying some construction projects.

The budget cuts are necessary because of a 3.6 percent decrease in the tax digest, Bell said. The value of the county dropped from $8.56 billion to $8.26 billion, he said.

Bell said the county has also seen an increase in legal and transportation expenses, along with decreased federal and state aid.

Copies of the budget are available at each of the county libraries and in the county finance department at 112 Smith St., Jonesboro.