City Hall leaders agree to personal furloughs — more to come?
City Hall
ST. LOUIS — Days after the mayor warned of lean times ahead, he and two other key city elected officials have agreed to take personal furloughs — and are pushing for other employees to do the same.
Mayor Francis Slay, along with Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed and Comptroller Darlene Green, have agreed to forgo two weeks pay beginning sometime on or after July 1, when the new fiscal year begins.
Slay has instructed his senior staff and cabinet-level officials to take furloughs as well.
Reed and Slay, at least, are expected to still come to work during their furlough — in effect, they will be taking a small pay cut.
A spokesman for Green said it was unclear if federal labor laws would allow her to work during the furlough.
“I’m not sure if her intentions and what is legal are the same,” the spokesman, John Farrell, said.
The proposed budget submitted Friday by the city’s Estimate Board — comprised of Slay, Green and Reed — calls for furloughs of up to two weeks for more than 4,000 city employees.
Police officers, firefighters and court officers would not be required to take the unpaid time off.
Officials hope the furloughs will save the cash-strapped city $3.1 million.
Still, the proposed furlough of one week for rank and file workers — and two weeks for managers — must be approved by the Board of Aldermen, as well as perhaps various unions.
Slay began his third term on Tuesday with a speech cautioning city government would share the pain private employers have felt in the struggling economy.
“The world is changing at a dizzying pace, accelerated by a brutal economy,” Slay said. “We must notice our weaknesses – and correct them.”
That is a good example of real leadership. I imagine if every governemnt employee did this during lean times, our fiscal crisis would be significantly reduced.
Lets just get rid of excess govt employees morfist. 43.78% of them are really not needed.
I’m surprised Slay didn’t propose a sales tax increase.
Slay’s people did this sham a few years ago. They announced they were going to furlough themselves - not sure if they really did it - and then gave themselves 30% pay increases. I’ll take a 2 week furlough anytime if I can give myself a 30% pay increase at the taxpayers’ expense.
I want to know how this administration could ask anyone to be furloughed when they have all the Double Dipping former management Employee’s working as consultants all through out the city departments. This is a FACT .
What is wrong with some people and their comments?! You all must have miserable lifes. Slay is and has been a great leader. What is good for the city is good for the region. Keep it up Slay and thank you for your sacrifice and leadership.
stchuckmom,
I’m assuming my your signature you DON’T live in the city. It’s easy to judge when you’re not under the thumb of the regime. How much you pay in extra sales taxes and Earnings Taxes? If he’s good for the region why won’t the city and county merge?
Lets see…how to generate money for the City…maybe charge the residents for trash service like everyone else has to pay (and increase fines for illegal dumping), hiring freeze for city hall employees, charge a little for the zoo, put a toll booth in the river and charge the barges to go under PSB (that would be fun to watch), more bridge toll booths for cars (that’s always an enjoyment), levy fines on alderpersons who urinate in trash cans and put a tax on all the drug deals and prostitution on the north side. Wala…..we just made a billion dollars for the city!
Oh, wow! Shazam! Two weeks; yes; that will hurt - NOT! Give up your salary for a year, why don’t you - pleassssse…you are going to hurt like the “folks?”
Let’s face it, the Board of Aldermen could go on permanent furlough and no one would notice.
eeeek, aaaaaah, to much, I, I, I, just can’t think! To much deception, to many lies! Brian overload! What is this that the Lantern is hearing? Slay is taking a furlough? Will he truely leave the matters of the city in capable hands for two weeks, giving us an opportunity to heal from his bambosticness? Will Louis Reed serve as Mayor in Slay’s absense or will Slay create another senerio? Tooooo muuuuuuuch to ponder.