Thirty-nine Buckeye employees lost their jobs and most unfilled positions have been cut from the budget in Buckeye's effort to avoid a monetary shortfall.
"All budgeted, non-critical positions that are vacant will be eliminated or frozen; there will be a reduction in force of just under 8 percent," Finance Director Gail Reese told the Town Council at its Nov. 18 meeting.
Based on current projections, by the end of the fiscal year Buckeye will be short $165,000 in state sales tax, $2.8 million in town sales taxes, 3.8 million on building permits, totaling with other shortfalls a $6.9 million shortfall in the general fund, Finance Consultant Pat Walker said.
The town government grew faster than needed, Reese said.
"Over the past few years, the Buckeye government has been growing in anticipation of the growth rather than the reality of the growth we have," she said.
From fiscal year 2004 to 2009, the general fund personnel budget grew by more than 400 percent and the number of employees grew more than 300 percent. Over that same period of time, the real population grew about 150 percent, she said.
The proposed reduction in staff will not affect any uniformed public safety personnel or any employees directly involved with the delivery of water and wastewater, Reese said.
"Public safety and public health can not be impacted by anything we do."
Council reactions
The town should have better prepared, Councilman Robert Garza said.
"We could have been better prepared for this, because this recession didn't happen last week," Garza said.
Going to the employees to look for solutions was also something that should have been done, he said.
"Personal sacrifices are something that when people are faced with this sort of adversity they will do. I feel we did not give our people the opportunity. If given the choice to work 20 hours or no hours, they will pick 20 hours," Garza said.
"These are people that we relied on to get us to this level of the town of Buckeyehood. Now as soon as the going gets tough, off with their heads. I am angry and disappointed at the town of Buckeye," he said.
It is a tough but necessary decision, several council members said.
"This town can't operate in the red. It is tough. It is tough for everybody and I am sorry for that," Vice Mayor Elaine May said.
Councilman David Hardesty agreed.
"It is tough and I think it is going to get a little tougher. I feel bad for people losing their jobs. We have to keep this town sound," he said.
"This is a hard time for the council. This is a hard time for management," Councilman Dave Rioux said.
"We have to be fiscally responsible to the citizens. I feel we are losing a lot of really good people, and I don't think there is anywhere for them to go," Rioux said.
The budget has to be balanced, it is the law, Mayor Jackie Meck said.
"We are being extremely prudent by doing what we are doing right now. What we are doing is not a picnic," Meck said.
"We have to deal with it, and I am sorry for what we have to end up doing. I wish we didn't, but there is not any other way of doing it. We are responsible to approximately 40,000 people," Meck said.
Every department will have at least one person affected by the reduction, but the town is required by law to keep revenues and expenditures in balance, Reese said.
"Correcting for an overabundance of enthusiasm is almost by definition always painful; failure to do it in a timely, proactive way will be even more painful," Reese said.
Employees who were let go will receive severance, any accrued vacation time and can keep their insurance through the end of December.
Robin Clayton can be reached by e-mail at rclayton@westvalleyview.com.
