Print
E-Mail
tool name
closeSumner announces furlough days
The four days that the city will be shut down will save $80,000, officials say
Avani Nadkarni
Like the rest of the workforce, it’s been a tough 12 months for the city of Sumner.
“We’ve already had to lay off (the parks manager) earlier this year and we are holding a number of positions vacant,” Mayor Dave Enslow said in a statement released by the city.
Leading the financial downturn is the city’s declining sales tax revenue, which is 20 percent below budget.
On the four furlough days, the rest of which will be held Sept. 4, Oct. 12 and Dec. 31 to coincide with holidays, City Hall, the Sumner Senior Center and the Sumner City Cemetery will all be closed. According to Sumner Communications Director Carmen Palmer, each furlough day will save the city an estimated $20,000.
Three of the four city unions —the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Operating Engineers and the Teamsters — have all agreed to participate in the furlough days. The other union, the Police Guild, has agreed to have members working in records to participate, while communications, animal control and commissioned officers are participating on an individual basis.
Also participating are members of the Sumner City Council. Staff is not allowed to adjust council member compensation, only the salary commission can do so, but six out of the seven council members have agreed to write a check to the city for as much as $173, which is one-fifty-seconds of their salary, equivalent of taking five furlough days. Councilmember Randy Hynek opted not to do so.
“Last year I donated more than $1,200 of my own money to the community garden and I put in 30 (volunteer) hours each week there,” Hynek said. “That’s where I chose to donate (my time and money) to the city.”
The council will also cancel any scheduled meetings on the furlough days that coincide with regular meetings or study sessions.
“It’s tough asking our employees and their families to take this cut,” Enslow acknowledged in the statement. “It’s hard asking our citizens to go four days without us here to serve them. However, the alternatives are much worse. I am so proud of our employees for making these sacrifices.”
Other adjustments city employees have agreed to make include taking cost of living increases in the form of vacation time instead of salary; City Administrator John Doan and Enslow, along with others, also agreed to take a voluntary 2 percent pay cut in May.