Wheaton gets warning on layoff plan

In the wake of the city's first snow this season, Wheaton public works employees said Monday they're concerned planned layoffs in the streets division will carry serious consequences.

As some of the people scheduled to be cut are snowplow operators, services are sure to suffer, public works employee Chris Fisher told city council members.

"I think on snowplowing we're going to be short-handed," said Fisher, a plow driver.

As part of its ongoing budget reduction process for the next year, council members said over the past few months that staff cuts were in the works and would be "gut wrenching."

City Manager Don Rose outlined the details after the show of support by public works employees in the audience Monday night, many of whom donned orange safety vests.

The city is eliminating the equivalent of 17 full-time positions from the 2009 budget.

Six of those layoffs are in the public works department. Additionally, the city will also eliminate four jobs currently open in public works.

Public works employees after the meeting said the targeted spots include four people who work in the streets division, one mechanic and a custodian.

Rose said seven other layoffs across all other city departments are planned, though public works employees are the only one who've been notified so far because negotiations are ongoing with the department union there.

In addition to losing the 17 full-time jobs, the city will cut eight part-time seasonal workers next summer, he said.

Council members have worked for months on plans to eliminate a projected $4.3 million deficit in the 2009 budget.

They approved a sales tax increase that's expected to beef up revenues, but also have worked to trim more than $3 million in expenses.

Fisher told the council that their decision to cut staff will be felt by the community.

"When we start cutting people from public works," he said, "we're going to get less services.