Summit County officials announced this week that Assistant Public Works Administrator Rick Dunford was laid off in November as part of a money-saving strategy.
The layoff surprised him, but Dunford said he did not wish to speak extensively about the situation when reached Tuesday by The Park Record.
“It was a new position and so I guess they figured that because they got along without it before, they can get along without it in the new economic recession,” Dunford said.
Dunford is one of four people whose positions were eliminated. Other layoffs included two building officials and an employee in the Summit County Health Department.
“Payroll is the largest component of the budget. Keeping some 300 people compensated and insured for health and retirement is an expensive undertaking,” Summit County Councilman Chris Robinson said.
Department heads helped recommend which positions should be eliminated.
“In these times when business is slow and the velocity of activity is curtailed greatly, they determined those positions were no longer needed,” Robinson said.
Meanwhile, only county employees earning less than $52,000 per year will receive pay increases next year.
Those earning less than $30,000 will receive a 3 percent raise, Summit County Auditor Blake Frazier said.
A 2 percent pay hike is envisioned for employees earning between $30,000 and $42,000. Employees who are paid between $42,000 and $52,000 per year will get a 1 percent increase, Frazier explained.
“Times are tough and they are tough everywhere. But it impacts lower paid individuals more than it impacts the higher paid individuals,” Frazier said. “We want to try to mitigate as much of the recession as we can with some of the employees.”
But the arrangement upset some higher paid staffers, he acknowledged.
“I would say a majority of them are all right with it. But there are those who worry about themselves more than anything else, and that’s just reality,” Frazier said.
Funding the pay increases will cost about $120,000 in the next budget year, Robinson said.
“It’s not a huge item, but if you’re on the receiving end and you’re making 20 grand, it’s a huge item,” he said.
The Summit County Council is scheduled to finalize next year’s budget following a public hearing Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. at the County Courthouse in Coalville.
Spending is tight because sales-tax revenue has declined due to a slowdown in tourism, Frazier said.
Officials have projected the budget for Summit County for 2010 at about $47 million, Robinson said.
He said he expects road and building projects in the county next year to account for about $4 million. Work is scheduled on Hoytsville Road, Highland Drive and Landmark Drive.
Despite the layoffs, Robinson said Summit County’s finances are on solid footings compared to other local governments.
“The reason that we don’t have a four-alarm fire going on here is because we have a pretty solid revenue base,” Robinson said. “We have a property-tax base that is very solid and provides probably half of our revenues.”