County could cut 530 jobs to solve budget woes

By Joe Schoenmann

Published Friday, April 9, 2010 | 12:30 p.m.

Updated Friday, April 9, 2010 | 12:41 p.m.

Despite more than two years holding jobs vacant and cutting expenses, Clark County officials said this morning that they still must cut 14 percent from the upcoming budget because of dwindling tax revenues. That, officials said, will inevitably mean layoffs.

A 14 percent cut equals $57 million -- the equivalent of 530 jobs.

Make no mistake, said Commissioner Larry Brown, layoffs are coming and when they do, he doesn’t believe they should be across-the-board, but based on priorities.

Brown wants county staff to incorporate suggestions from the Committee on Community Priorities, a citizens group that met last year to determine where cuts might come and which services might be outsourced.

But he also said he wants to reward labor organizations that have worked with the county by making salary concessions during the past year, and punish those that did not.

Within the last year, the union representing about 700 county firefighters has been repeatedly singled out for not working with the county to offer meaningful concessions. The union and management are currently negotiating a new contract.

Coincidentally, one of the top recommendations by the Committee on Community Priorities was to eliminate the Fire Department’s paramedic (ambulance) duties, which account for a majority of the department’s emergency calls, and transfer those duties to private ambulance companies.

The group also recommended outsourcing auditing and some functions of the District Attorney’s Office.

Chief Financial Officer George Stevens detailed the declining revenue for commissioners today, including how how a 14 percent cut would translate into 530 lost jobs:

- 307 service employees, including UMC staff, security and others ($25.2 million);

- 96 firefighters ($17.4 million);

- 77 non-union employees, which includes management and public information officers ($6.2 million);

- 14 attorneys ($2.3 million);

- two park police jobs ($210,465).

That the county would contemplate cutting so many firefighter positions – No. 2 as a group – would have been considered impossible a year ago. But much has changed in that time.

After the firefighters kept all of their salary increases last year and talks of concessions went nowhere, relations between the county and the union deteriorated. At the County Commission meeting this week, a Metro officer stood by because of threats Commissioner Steve Sisolak said he had received by phone.

The Sun also reported this week that a Las Vegas firefighter wrote on Facebook that she wanted to “shoot” Sisolak.

Commission Chairman Rory Reid condemned the threats as he asked the firefighters union to help the county solve its budget problem.

“This is not a game,” Reid said. “People’s jobs are at stake. The services that this government will be able to provide in the future are at stake. And I think that the threats that have been made to Commissioner Sisolak are irresponsible. This isn’t a school yard where you can throw sand in somebody’s face if you don’t like what they’re saying. This is serious business, we need to get through this together and I hope the firefighters use the same energy that they have been venting toward my colleague in helping us solve this problem.”

More information and recommendations about the budget will be made during upcoming County Commission meetings. The county is scheduled to adopt a final budget on May 17.

To view video of today's special commission meeting click here and select “video” on the line stating "SPECIAL MEETING - 4/9/2010."