Local Government TV

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Angle Calls for 5% Layoffs in Northampton County

During yesterday afternoon's Northampton County finance committee hearing, Council Prez noted that the size of County government has swollen since Exec John Stoffa took office. Between January 1, 2006 and today, the number of County employees has shot up from 2037 to 2220, an increase of somewhere around nine per cent.

In addition to the increase in staff, Angle complained that the County is dipping into the fund balance. It had set aside $6 million for spending this year, but according to Angle, has already spent $4 million in the first quarter.

"Is this how we should be running a business?" asked Angle.

"This is not a business, it is a government," answered Stoffa, noting that he can't lay off corrections officers and has no control over the Courts, DA or Controller.

"You need to cut employees by 5%, across the board," charged Angle, noting this would save the County $7 million. He warned that both major layoffs and massive tax hikes are only two to three years away unless the County acts proactively.

Council member Ann McHale noted that the county's core services - courts, human services and jail - are off limits, but left the door open to cuts elsewhere.

Stoffa told Council that new positions arise as a result of a new judge and the needs of both the jail and Sheriff, and asked why Council approves these positions if it intends to complain about them. At that point, McHale stated that administrations always turn the table on Council for approving new hires that they themselves recommend. "We're always the bad guys," she complained.

Council member Barb Thierry told Stoffa she respects him and what he's trying to do, but called County finances "a freight train getting ready to wreck. We need to find ways to think outside the box before we are so far out of the box we don't know where it is anymore."

Cutting 5% of the County workforce would mean a reduction of 100 employees. I doubt that would save the County $7 million. It's more likely that the savings wouldonly be $4 or $5 million. The bad will generated by a 5%, across the board, layoff, would be devastating and would undoubtedlyy affect the production of the workforce retained.

But how about this? Since workforce turnover is at least 5% per year, the layoffs can be accomplished by attrition. This would save money and finally force reluctant County administrators to start cross-training its workforce. Even John Stoffa has complained, "We always talk about that, we never do it." The possibility of real layoffs would provide a good incentive for teaching workers skills in other departments.

For example, the Recorder of Deeds has a staff of 13, but the real estate market is only 50% of what it was five years ago. Some of these workers could be "loaned" to departments that are overwhelmed, like the Civil Division.

Blogger's Note: After writing this piece, but before posting it at the witching hour, I noticed that Michael Duck has posted his own, very detailed, take on yesterday's testy Finance Committee meeting. He nails it.

23 comments:

  1. Speaking as someone who has always worked in the corporate world, if Ron Angle wants to run county govt like a business, then the first point of order would be to analyze your P/L ratio. The County has all L and no P. It doesn't sell anything. It's all L. That's why it's not a business. What a real CEO would do if she wanted to run the County like a business is round up all the criminals, drug addicts, alcoholics, mentally ill and mentally retarded, old, infirm, abused and abandoned children, and renters who don't contribute to the tax base but use services and get rid of them. Then you have no need for this huge staff and you have no expenditures. Taxes can be relieved and the County is shrunk. You wouldn't even need a Council....just a couple judges to take care of contested wills.

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  2. Talk, talk, talk. This County Executive had all the answers and now he just talks.

    County council is a paper tiger. This new crew are as inept as the last bunch. Let's see if they have the balls to force some cuts.

    Budgets in places like Human Services and the Sheriff's are way out of line. No one is being held accountable. When the last guy was in, Angle would be screaming at everyone, now he gives his buddy Stoffa and his crew a pass. Who is in charge anyway?

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  3. Angle's right, but where's he been all this time?

    Stoffa's attained the Peter Principle. He's a good guy who has clearly risen to his level of incompetence. It's not all his fault. But much of it is.

    Unfortunately, that's what you get when you put a career bureaucrat in an executive position. He really shouldn't have been expected to be a good financial steward. It's hard to believe he's this bad, however.

    Very disappointing.

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  4. I like the idea of running the government as a business. Get rid of taxes and hand the entire County Govt. over to Blue Cross Blue Shield and let them make billions.

    "Hello, Blue Cross Blue Shield County Services, how can I help you today"

    "Yes, I just raped someone in the west Ward and I'm going to need to be tried and convicted and probably spend time in County Prison. What is my deductible?"

    "What plan do you have sir?"

    "PPO POP HOM PRO and my account number is 859404958668594439348585944394F"

    "OK. I'm sorry sir. You used Children and Youth Services when you were underage and it was determined that you had violent tendencies, so the rape you committed is considered a pre-existing condition. I'm afraid you won't be able to stay in jail or be convicted. I'm SOOOO sorry. You are still covered for other services. Are you paying your mortgage? Would you like a sherrif to come out and kick you out of your foreclosed house? I have a list of sherrif providers covered under our plan that can come and kick your family out on their butts if you go to www.BCBS.Northampton.sherrifproviders.kickyourassonthestreet.com

    Is there anything else I can help you with today? No? OK. Thanks for calling Blue Cross and Blue Shield Northampton County Govt Services. YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!"

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  5. Looking back at all those added positions last year, one member voted no to each request, Joe Cap. I guess not worrying about re-election helps politicians do whats right and not what others want. Can we bring him back when Angle resigns?

    dan

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  6. "He warned that both major layoffs and massive tax hikes are only two to three years away unless the County acts proactively."

    Didn't Angle say this in 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005... hell... every year! Chicken little?

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  7. 7:48 made me laugh until I realized that this is the process I deal with when I call a business. The run around was invented by businesses.

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  8. 12:40 is right on.

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  9. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. All it takes is for Angle to be right about the massive tax hike once, and we all are on the hook, forever.

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  10. 12:40 snarks, but there is some wisdom to be culled from his quip: If we quit treating bad guys as victims, we'd have more than enough dough to go around.

    For example, if we are down a guard and need to call in someone for overtime, just lock the bastards down instead. Nobody gets anything until the next fully staffed straight time shift. Instead of burdening the taxpayer, how about burdening the loser we are forced to house because he/she couldn't behave?

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  11. Just what we need. 100+ more unemployed people.

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  12. Stoffa was always a poser. He has never made a decision. He just flows with the bureaucracy. His cabinet is clueless. County Council has no backbone. 60% tax increase coming. Better get out the lubriderm or borrow it from Angle and Bernie.

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  13. Like the county can afford cutting people.

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  14. Did Bob Dady get a job yet or is he still collecting unemployment from northampton county tax payers ?

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  15. Concerned In NorCoMay 20, 2010 at 11:39 PM

    If Angle drops the suit against his pops, and drops the Will appeal that will save the tax payers all the money they need.

    This guy has no problem wasting taxpayer money for his own cause, but wants to put people out of work.

    SCUM BAG!!!!!!!!!!!

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  16. Blame a guy named Bob Dady? This mess is at the feet of the Angle/Stoffa Administration, they are in power and make the calls. Maybe they will give you a break and only stick a 50% tax increase up there!

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  17. This is what happens when you turn over leadership to Slate Belters.

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  18. Did you ever notice that the administration's priority is aesthetics? Notice the new sign pillars in the hallways, the carpet getting ripped up on the main floor and tile going down, the new door at court administration, new parking deck plans, a new elevator outside the civil division (that makes no sense compared to where handicapped parking is btw) ...oh oh I think maybe we need a few more fountains... Yes, the money is being well spent on making us more pretty. Forget getting a new archive building for the rapidly increasing space problem that is inevitable. Who cares. Lets just talk talk talk more about it, have a meeting to discuss the meeting. Northampton County is a Mickey Mouse operation.

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  19. Your example of recorder of deeds would not work. Recorders are under the residual contract and civil is court related. Two different contracts.

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  20. Yeah, it would work. It makes no difference what union is involved. The work is there and should not be restricted to areas only covered by one specific union. Unions would need to be involved to negotiate this issue where necessary. If they object, then layoffs become necessary. Stoffa opposes layoffs, but I'msure he will not object if a selfish union opposed cross-training. Then you will have to ask yourself whether the unions are worth the dues youpay.

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  21. Wow, you have done a complete 180 degrees with your employee views. With Reibman every time he even asked employees to help you damned him and praised the staff. Now if Stoffa farts you condemn the staff who refuse to sniff.

    Hypocrite!

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  22. While you are correct in saying real estate is down 50%, that doesn't mean your example of the recorders office employees should be "loaned out" to other depts. Let's face it, real estate will never get back to the way it was during the housing boom. While recordings have been down quite a bit, the staff in that office has been busy on another project. Scanning and indexing old books into the computer system. This saves people time in having to drive to the court house and hunt for a parking spot to get the info. they need. Saving yet more time by being able to e-record right from their own offices. Oh yea....and helps from people "camping out" in the office like it's their home. Just saying.

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  23. I know wxatly what the staff is doing there. I camp out there, remember? What the staff is doing is busy work, the kind of work you do when there's nothing else. It makes no sense to waste time doing that when the Civil Division struggles keeping up w/ Sheriff Sales and judgments, the revenue office gets swamped with tax requests, or the elections office is busy.

    That's why cross-training is needed. County workers should welcome that bc it gives them job security.

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