City eliminates 35 job positions

With the prospect of having to slice more than $5 million from next year’s budget, the city announced it is cutting 35 positions from nine different departments.

Among the cuts are 13 layoffs, the elimination of 18 vacant positions and the reassignment of four employees within city government.

“These are getting to be tougher and tougher times,” said City Manager Bob Bartolotta. “We’re going into our fourth year of the economic slowdown.”

The cuts come from the following departments: city manager’s office, human resources, finance, neighborhood and development services, public works, utilities, recreation facilities, information technology and Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.

There were no cuts in the police department.

Bartolotta said an effort was going to be made to find the 13 employees jobs in other vacant positions. But if that’s not possible, the employees’ last day will be July 19.

“I’m real sensitive to the personal side of this,” Bartolotta said. “This is a tragedy.”

Contact Robin Roy at [email protected].