Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno (pictured) held a press conference this morning in City Hall to announce 89 layoffs of city employees, many of them as of March 2.

According to initial reports, 44 jobs will be cut in the Department of Public Works, 17 in the Library Department, 12 in the Parks Department, seven in City Hall, six in Facilities, and three in animal control.

WHYN has audio of the mayor’s comments today, available here.

During the press conference, Sarno said there will be workshops to assist the city employees being laid off. He also said the city will consider outsourcing some services to the private sector. Finance Control Board Executive Director Stephen Lisauskas also spoke, explaining that “managed competition” will ease the situation for some of the employees being laid off. Sarno decined an opportunity to elaborate on what this means in response to a reporter’s question, but Lisauskas explained that it essentially is a way to allow right of first refusal for employees when jobs are being outsourced.

Last week, the City Council Planning and Economic Development Committee held a meeting apparently in response to a letter from the city’s Library Commission protested the large 10.7 percent cut proposed for the library budget. Library Commissioner Sheila McElwaine provided a report following the meeting, available below. More related information for reference is available here; a related CBS 3 report is here. See also Maureen Turner’s comprehensive article in today’s Valley Advocate.

In defending his choices today, Mayor Sarno said, “I had to choose between keeping police on the streets, and books.”

Springfield City Council Planning and Economic Development Committee
February 12, 2009

Present: Chairman Bud Williams, Councilor Bruce Stebbins, Councilor Pat Markey (Absent;  Councilor Jimmy Ferrera) Helen Caulton Harris, Carol Leaders, Lee Fogarty, Emily Bader, Sharyn O’Reilly, Seth Racine (Financial Team), Dan Frazier, Mike Tuckey, Helen Boyle, Ann Ryan, Kat Wright

Councilor Williams began by saying the meeting had been called in response to a letter from the library commission about the size of the 10.76 percent cut proposed in the library budget, nearly twice the cut proposed for other departments. Councilor Stebbins pointed out that the libraries are used across the city and that they have been rebuilt over the past few years. He wants to know what’s at risk if the cut proposed by the Mayor is sustained.

Councilor Markey put the cut in historical context in terms of hours of service in 2001 followed by cuts in 2003 which have never been fully restored in contrast to other departments which have gradually been restored to pre-2003 funding levels. He also pointed out that the library department is well-run and delivers a high level of service for every dollar and that neighborhood libraries are neighborhood focal points.

Councilor Williams asked about the availability of a waiver from the state should the cut be retained.

Library Director Emily Bader [pictured] said that were the cut retained at this level, there would be no need for a waiver in FY 2009, and the second half of the state appropriation ($174,000) is expected to be received in May. As for FY 2010, the important thing is that any cut in the library budget would need to be proportionate to cuts in other departments. A 10.76 percent budget cut would amount to $330,000. Were we to lose state funding, we would lose $78,000 which supports regional reference services at the Central Library. We would also lose the ability to apply for state or federal grants administered by the state.

In answer to a question from Councilor Williams, Library Director Bader said that a $330,000. cut would be devastating.

Seth Racine of the city Finance/Budget Department explained that these cuts had been proposed in response to the 9.7 percent cut in state aide announced by the Governor last month and the predicted cut of 28 percent for FY 2010. In response, Mayor Sarno has asked departments to find recurring cuts and across the city, all departments are looking at what these reductions will mean. He said the numbers will change.

In response to a question from Councilor Markey, assistant library director Lee Fogarty said the annual library budget is $4.2 million, and that about two-thirds of that has been spent already.  Councilor Markey, rounding the library’s annual budget figure to $4.5 million to make the math easier for purposes of discussion, said that approximately $1.5 million is left in the 2009 library budget and that the cut proposed by the mayor would take about one-third of that.

Councilor Williams then asked how the 10.76 percent figure was arrived at. Seth responded that the mayor wants to save public safety, adding that he (the mayor) had looked at the budget and will listen. Asked what one might do to get answers about how this figure was arrived at, Seth said there were opportunities such as this meeting and also suggested making calls and writing letters, adding that the cuts had been in the works since late last summer.

Councilor Williams said there was urgency about these cuts and that several councilors had been agitating for cut-backs for some time and that he is aware that the library department is required by the state to operate a given number of hours or lose certification.

Councilor Markey wondered about making a cut in the annual allocation to the Springfield Museums, saying that he recalled that the agreement with the SMA requiring that cuts or increases in this item be made in tandem with allocations to the library department.  Seth said that the amount for the SMA is $1.32 million and that no cut in that item was figured into budget reductions.

Councilor Stebbins asked about how much money the library department received in federal grants; Lee Fogarty and Emily Bader said there were a few small grants of about $20,000. each.

Councilor Williams asked about hours at the branches; Emily Bader said branches are open 24 hours each week and the central library is open 57 hours each week. Pat Markey asked what percentage of the library budget is for personnel services. Lee Fogarty responded that in the annual budget, $2.7 million is for personnel services while $1.6 million is for fixed costs such as utilities. Councilor Markey asked about salary levels of library staff ($35,000 for entry level reference librarians and $20,000 to $24,000 for clerks). He concluded that dividing $1.5 million by $30,000 would give one the approximate number of people to be laid off should the cut of 10.76 percent be retained. Emily Bader observed that almost all of the library budget consists of recurring costs.

Mary Ann Maloney, president of the Friends of the Library, asked whether a time table had been set for reductions.  Seth said that some bargaining units required a 60-day notice. A library union representative present said they had a 60 day notice, and that staff also wondered about who will be affected by the plan (which staffing units, which buildings). Emily Bader said that no libraries will close, but that there would be staff and hour reductions.  The union representative observed that a new staffing plan would be needed. Emily said she was not comfortable discussing specifics of a reduction plan, but both she and the union representative agreed “that staff members and the public just want to know.” Lee Fogarty said that because the budget crisis is statewide, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners will not limit the number of waivers it will grant this year.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 18th, 2009 at 11:44 am and is filed under City Council, Finance, Finance Control Board, Libraries, Press conferences, Springfield, Urban Compass.