Lackawanna County laid off 11 employees and eliminated 13 vacant positions Friday in a series of personnel moves aimed at saving more than $1.2 million in 2013.
Four additional jobs will be cut before the end of the year.
Majority Commissioners Jim Wansacz and Corey O'Brien warned there would be a reduction in the county work force when they released their $91.7 million tentative budget for 2013 last month. The budget calls for a 4 percent real estate tax increase.
Mr. Wansacz said while it is never easy to lay off employees, it is equally difficult to raise taxes. The budget he and Mr. O'Brien have proposed does "a little bit of both," he said.
"Even though it's a tough day on the families of those being laid off, this is part of our commitment to doing more with less in county government and having the budget cuts necessary to keep taxes low," Mr. Wansacz said.
The 11 layoffs will be spread across eight departments. Vacant positions in nine departments will go unfilled, although two will be replaced with part-time positions.
Chief of Staff Maria Elkins said four more positions will be eliminated in the coming weeks. They are listed on a chart released by the commissioners office simply as "TBA," or to be announced, with neither the department nor the position identified.
The cuts will save the county $1.44 million in salaries and benefits next year, the administration said. After the payment of more than $185,000 in unemployment benefits, the net savings will be $1,215,683.
Ms. Elkins said the 11 employees were told by their department heads Friday morning that they were being laid off.
"Some of them have bumping rights per the union contract, and they may actually return to another position and displace somebody else," she said.
The laid-off workers will retain their county health care benefits through the end of November, Ms. Elkins said.
The affected positions include, by department or office:
- Assessor's: Clerk and map specialist laid off; vacant sub-assessor position eliminated.
- Controller: Vacant accountant position eliminated, will be replaced by a part-time position.
- Economic development: Clerk laid off.
- Community corrections: Four vacant positions eliminated, including assistant administrator, clerk-typist and two unspecified part-time positions.
- Register of wills: Two clerks laid off.
- Lackawanna Coal Mine: Retail sales specialist laid off.
- Information technology: Systems administrator laid off.
- Juvenile detention: Vacant detention officer position eliminated.
- District attorney: Vacant secretary position and second unspecified vacant position eliminated.
- Courts: Vacant stenographer position eliminated.
- Coroner: Vacant deputy coroner position eliminated, will be replaced by a part-time position.
- Prison: Vacant education program coordinator position eliminated.
- Domestic relations: Conference officer, intake officer and domestic relations officer laid off; unspecified vacant position eliminated.
- Area Agency on Agency: Community health nurse laid off.
Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com