US State News

WILMINGTON, Del., May 14 -- The city of Wilmington issued the following news release:

Wilmington Mayor James M. Baker's Chief of Staff told the City Council's Public Safety Committee today that 17 police officers and 8 firefighters will be laid off on July 1 to save $1.4 million and help close the remaining gap in a multi-million budget deficit for Fiscal Year 2010. William S. Montgomery told Committee members that the Mayor is now forced to re-draft the FY 2010 budget proposal which he originally presented to Council last March containing no layoffs of City employees. Montgomery said the new version will include a reduction of police officers and firefighters because they have refused to accept the Mayor's offer to preserve the jobs of all police officers and firefighters in exchange for receiving no salary increase for one year. Montgomery noted the irony of that position today in addressing Council Committee members.

He said not only have the police and fire unions apparently made a decision to sacrifice some of their own members in terms of their employment, but will now be entitled to salary and step raises next fiscal year while most City employees gave up salary increases in order to keep their jobs. Mayor Baker today kept to his pledge not to lay off any City employee who agreed to forego any salary or step increase in FY 2010. "I will not go back on my word to the majority of City employees who are making a sacrifice in order to help us close the largest City budget deficit in many years," said the Mayor. "Unfortunately, the police and fire unions felt it was more important to take a pay increase and lose members rather than keep their Departments whole. This is not my doing, but theirs." The Mayor today again thanked AFSCME Locals 1102, 1102B and Local 320, plus the City's non-union workforce for understanding the Mayor's position that it is better to keep City employees in their jobs in exchange for them accepting no salary or step increases. "I am angry as all taxpayers should be, but I will still keep the door open for the police and fire unions to change their position and help us avoid these layoffs," said the Mayor. The City is facing its largest budget deficit in more than a decade. To close the gap in anticipated revenue versus expenditures, the Mayor presented a proposed budget to City Council in March that cuts $15 million in proposed or planned City spending and requests $7.2 million in new taxes and fees for City residents and businesses. The Mayor first met with the City's unions over seven weeks ago to explain the City's current financial crisis and to ask for their support for a plan that preserves the jobs of City employees in exchange for no salary and step increases.

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May 19, 2009