Lee board to discuss options to save cash
DIXON – A month after voting to save money by requiring each county employee to take 12 unpaid days off each year, the Lee County Board tonight will review that decision – and might change it.
The move was designed to save the county a sizable chunk of money, but it might not work for every department, according to the board’s finance committee chairman, Rick Ketchum of Amboy. Because of concerns from department heads and some elected officials, the matter will be on the board’s agenda again tonight.
“What we intend to do – and it may not happen – is to have every employee take a day off each month without pay,” Ketchum said.
He said at the Aug. 18 county board meeting that union contract workers will receive their raises, but won’t be guaranteed a 40-hour workweek.
Mandating furlough days for both union and non-union employees would save the county $23,454 more than if the county simply did not give anyone raises this year, he said.
“We’re discovering, though, that some of the department heads and elected officials are saying it doesn’t work well for their departments,” Ketchum said.
Sheriff John Varga is one of the dissenters.
“All of the department heads are having trouble with the furloughs,” Varga said. “Mine is a 24-hour department, and the issue becomes even more crucial because of the kind of services we offer.
“We had a shooting on Sept. 10, and Dixon had a homicide on the 11th,” he said. “Our departments often help each other out.
“And the furlough days aren’t the only issue. We also have to cover everyone’s vacation or sick days. The furlough days just make it that much tougher.”
“It’s a problem, and it quickly becomes a real personnel and public-safety issue. And it’s not just in my department,” Varga said.
For instance, what happens if a road crew employee is on furlough on Dec. 12, and a huge snowstorm hits?
“Do you call that employee back in, do you call someone who’s not on furlough and pay them overtime, or do you just not plow the roads?” Varga asked.
Other department heads offering indispensable services say they would face similar timing and scheduling problems. For example, the circuit clerk and county clerk can’t shut down for a day each month, as someone had suggested, the sheriff said.
“There are reports and documents that have to be filed at certain times; they can’t wait,” Varga said. “These are all real, practical considerations.
“We all understand the county is in a very tight spot financially,” he said. “All of the department heads and elected officials want to find a satisfactory solution to this problem, but it’s just not an easy thing.”
The other option, Ketchum said, is for employees to work their usual schedule in 2010, but without pay raises.
Individual employees won’t be able to accept or reject the furlough plan, but it’s possible that every department will have the chance to choose whether its employees will be subject to the mandated monthly furlough day, he said.
“Each department will have to discuss it and decide how they’re going to handle it, so we can build an appropriate budget for next year,” Ketchum said.
Departments must reach a decision by the Oct. 20 meeting to allow the board time to prepare a budget for next year. The 2010 budget must be approved before this fiscal year ends on Nov. 30, Ketchum said.
To attend
Lee County Board meets at 6 tonight in the old Lee County Courthouse.
A complete agenda and meeting packet is available at www.countyoflee.org online.
