Dallas Council Eliminating One Furlough Day For City Workers
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – City employees will find some more money in their paychecks next year, as the City Council moves to eliminate one of the unpaid furlough days for city workers that were put in place as a cost-cutting measure during the recession.
"I want to make sure we give back to them what has been taken from them over the years as fast as we can," said Mayor Mike Rawlings. "I think this is a great move, and I appreciate all the work that they do."
The eight unpaid days off per year were part of the city's overall cost-cutting strategy as Council Members worked to avoid layoffs.
Still, the furloughs did affect employees' paychecks.
"They've been working very, very hard over these past few years, especially during budget cuts," said councilwoman Linda Koop.
Council Members are still finalizing next year's budget, but the latest projections show an increase in the revenues generated from city franchise fees.
Council members want to use more than $700,000 of that to keep city offices open one more day.
They'll take a final vote on the plan next week, and it will take effect with the start of the city's new fiscal year on October 1.
