Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors on Monday approved about 25 full time equivalent positions for layoff notices, but held out hope the governor’s budget would be passed and return about $1.1 million in Educational Revenue Augmentation Funds.
The ERAF Funds are not guaranteed, and Supervisors decided to plan on the funds not being restored, and move toward workforce reductions to reflect the budget deficit it expects the next fiscal year.
Supervisor Chairman Louis Boitano said they should wait until the governor signs the budget. Supervisor John Plasse agreed, saying the governor owns the “Blue Line” power to cross out items from the budget late. Plasse said in spite of the difficult decision, the county has always budgeted wisely, and he would “hate to deviate from a historically proven fiscal prudence.”
The ERAF funds could be returned to Amador County if the governor’s budget passes the Legislature as it is now. Supervisor Ted Novelli said he and Supervisor Brian Oneto went to the Capital to talk to local representatives about the Triple-Flip funds.
Oneto talked to Sen. Ted Gaines’ representative last Friday. Oneto said it was not like they were asking for special funds because it is money that was due to go to Amador County.
Plasse said he felt the county’s commitment to its lobbyist on the issue was money well spent. Supervisor Richard Forster said Service Employees International Union, California State Association of Counties, and the Regional Council of Rural Counties all assisted.
Forster said they should confirm all of these layoffs by the end of the month. County Administrative Officer Chuck Iley said he is working on a revised list of employees for layoff notices, if the county gets the ERAF funds restored. ¶ In public comment, Steve Bristow, SEIU business agent suggested the ERAF funds go to restore lost positions. He also encouraged support for law enforcement and 9-1-1 services, which SEIU does not represent.
Katherine Evatt urged Supervisors to protect jobs and suggested staggering employee days off and keeping county offices open five days a week.
Forster said they have had three workshops and people were taken off of this list, and they saw the need to put employees back on the list. He said not all department heads met the budget reductions they called for to meet the deficit.
Novelli said we do not want to lay off anybody, but we need to keep Amador County afloat. He said layoffs would have a ripple effect across the county.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
