Some City Workers Receive Layoff Notices; Mayor Apologizes to Staff

Many city hall employees were angry Friday morning after reading who would be laid off on the Internet. A story published by the Jersey Journal's Hoboken blog on Thursday afternoon—a day after the state approved the layoff plan—announced that four departments in City Hall were hit, and published specific titles.

Mayor Dawn Zimmer sent a letter out to all the City Hall employees on Friday morning a little after 9 a.m., apologizing for the situation. 

"First and foremost, I'm writing to apologize," Zimmer wrote. "I have worked to try and keep employees informed, and prevent you from having to learn about information that impacts you in the newspaper, rather than hearing it from me, your directors or union leaders."

In the letter, Zimmer also mentioned former Mayor Peter Cammarano, who was sentenced to two years in federal prison yesterday. She also mentioned the list of accomplishments of her first year in office, thanking the staff for its help.

"This layoff is not a reflection of your work performance," Zimmer wrote, "but a reflection of the difficult times that we face." 

According to the city's 2010 financial statement, the city has a cash surplus of $11.8 million. That surplus, Business Administrator Arch Liston said, will be used to try to provide some tax relief in the 2011-2012 calendar year. On August 11, the council will be proposing the transitional 6-month budget (the city is switching to a fiscal calendar year). There will be no real tax relief in that budget, Liston said.

When asked why the layoffs had to happen now, even though the city has a surplus, Liston said that the city is anticipating the 2011 budget, and the chance of less state aid.

"We're planning for the future," Liston said.

Liston said that some employees received their layoff notices on Friday. Zimmer said that the city is still performing its final review of the layoff plan. 

According to the Jersey Journal story, two clerk typists, the public information officer and a zoning assistant will be laid off. 

"Also, a management specialist and a laborer in human services and seven part-time laborers, a truck driver, three mechanics and a supervising mechanic in environmental services will be let go, according to the report," the Jersey Journal's article stated. 

The layoffs in the department of Environmental Services come as the city is moving its vehicles from the municipal garage on Observer Highway to 1714 Willow Ave., and is planning to outsource the maintenance of the vehicles. 

During a July council meeting Liston said that outsourcing would not mean that any of the workers would lose their jobs. He also said during that meeting, that he expects the cost of the outsourced maintenance to be around $10,000 a month. 

Zimmer has also been criticized on Hoboken blogs for offering raises to two city employees in the same month as announcing layoffs. 

"The timing is difficult," she said on Friday afternoon.

The employees in question are the mayor's confidential assistant Daniel Bryan, who received a $11,000 raise (from $35,000 to $46,000) and the mayor's confidential aide Juan Melli—who serves as the city's spokesman—who got a $15,000 bump. Zimmer said on Friday that Melli, who doesn't receive benefits from the city and was hired in May, didn't actually get a raise, because he agreed to work for a lower salary until the end of the fiscal year on June 30. 

When asked if there would be another round of layoffs, Liston said that there are "potentially more phases."