Layoffs would become a reality on June 30
BAY CITY -- Bay City’s City Manager Robert Belleman calls the 19 layoff notices sent to employees a necessary evil.
“We weren’t really happy with that option but we have to have a balanced budget,” he said. “If it means a reduction of our personnel; that’s where the largest portion of our costs are, then that’s what we’ll do.”
The notices were sent out between Tuesday and Wednesday, to six in the police department and five firefighters. Actual layoffs would happen on June 30, if the city does not receive 10.8 percent in concessions from employee unions by that time.
Belleman said the city has made some progress at the bargaining table, but has a ways to go. Meanwhile the demand for concessions comes in the middle of contract negotiations for Bay City’s firefighters, adding to complications.
“There’s some contractual language, some things they want to change besides the concessions that we’re not confident about. We’re not sure it will work,” said Kurt Wagner, president of the firefighters union.
He would not go into specifics, but said some of the changes would drastically restructure the department. Combined with the layoffs, he said a station may have to close. Only two would be left.
“You’re looking at 8 to 9 guys on duty a day and that’s just not enough to do the job,” Wagner said.
Wagner said his department has not fully recovered from the six firefighters lost last year. The city went down to three fire stations when officials closed Station No. 5 in 2009. Meanwhile this round of negotiations will continue, until late June when Belleman’s team presents a proposed balanced budget to commissioners for passage.
