Lauderdale Lakes Lay Offs
After declining to make significant job cuts just days before Christmas, Lauderdale Lakes commissioners decided just days after Christmas to hand out 28 pink slips.
That's less than the 40 employees whose jobs commissioners debated cutting at a December 17 meeting.
An employee in the city manager's office told me this afternoon that the cuts were made at a meeting the week after Christmas.
Apparently, some of the affected employees have already lost their jobs. The other cuts will take effect in February and another group of layoffs takes effect over the summer.
The employee I spoke with did not have specifics on how many employees will be affected in each group nor did she elaborate on which positions were cut.
I'm awaiting a call from the city manager to get more details.
The city faces a multi-million dollar shortfall and owes significant sums to the Broward County Sheriff's Office, which provides law enforcement and fire protection to the city.
FROM THE STORY I WROTE ON DEC. 17:
According to the budget documents posted online at the city's website — www.lauderdalelakes.org – the city saw its' property tax revenue drop by 21% this year, leaving it deeply in the red. The city owes the Broward Sheriff's Office $4 million for services and blames part of its' budget crisis on increases in BSO's contract. However, BSO Spokesperson Jim Leljedal said BSO has cut services to the city, in every department except road patrol deputies. Leljedal said the city hasn't paid their bill in months.
"They owe us millions of dollars," Leljedal said.
The Lauderdale Lakes city manager admitted the cuts would bring a "significant reduction in workforce and services." The proposed cuts would have affected many departments — Finance, Human Resources, Parks and Recreation, Community Development, Social Services and Public Works.
Commissioners said they plan to deal with the budget shortfall soon and hope to introduce new revenue streams into the city — like using red light cameras at intersections.
But Commissioners also discussed the possibility that state officials might have to come in and take over the city's finances.
