Sigh. No furloughs for now. May be re-evaluated later. Back to “if”, not “when”. And other updates from the mayor.Wonder what the back story is here! It kinds of reeks of creating a crisis so she can look like a hero. Bolding is mine, not original.
EMAIL FROM MAYOR
Dear Colleagues,
I want to share a few updates with you. I know you’ve been hearing from me a lot, and I hope that my sharing more information during these trying times is useful to you.
Reopening Plans
You may have seen that public health announced today the good news that we will be moving to Phase 1 to reopen businesses in the City. Our City of Madison offices, however, will remain closed as our planning team continues to prepare to restore more in-person City services in a way that protects both the public and staff from COVID-19. A reopening of city buildings and services will be gradual, involve telework options for continued physical distancing and will allow time for you to make plans for your families and children. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.
Face Coverings
There’s been a lot of discussion nationally about the use of masks and face coverings. Masks such as N95s are rightly reserved for health care and first responders, but face coverings like surgical masks, handmade face coverings, and the reusable and KN95s we have made available to you are still helpful in reducing the spread of COVID-19. As you know, all City employees are expected to wear at least a face covering while at work. I hope that you will join me in wearing a face covering when you are out in the community as well. The new public health orders require the use of face coverings in many situations, and we as a community need to get used to wearing them regularly (unless, of course, you have a health issue that precludes that). Each of you can be a good role model and help us to normalize the use of face coverings. Thank you for helping with this.
2020 Budget
As you know, we are facing a significant budget deficit for this year’s budget as a result of the pandemic. This week, I made a series of decisions that help our financial outlook:
- The City received stimulus funding through the federal CARES Act to deal with the COVID impacts on our transit system. I have approved using this funding to offset lost farebox revenue at Metro and, as a one-time action, use $8.5 million to reduce the General Fund subsidy for Metro in 2020.
- I am asking the Room Tax Commission to act to reduce expenditures under its control to eliminate the projected shortfall in that fund, rather than backfilling it from the General Fund.
- I have decided to direct an appropriate amount of our Fund Balance (sometimes described as our rainy day fund) to help offset some of the revenue lost as a result of the economic effects of the public health response to the pandemic.
There still is a lot of uncertainty in how the economy will behave over the rest of the year, but these are one-time multi-million dollar actions that will help us with the shortfall we are facing in 2020.
Based on these actions, I have decided that we do not need to act immediately on the question of furloughs. We will re-evaluate our need for furlough days in July following a review of 2nd Quarter expenditures and revenues. In the meantime, we will move forward in developing plans under the state Workshare program in those agencies that have seen a dramatic reduction in their workload. Until July 31, employees with reduced hours under a Workshare program who apply for unemployment compensation could be eligible for the $600 per week unemployment add-on to current payments. The combination of these payments is expected to offset lost wages from reductions in hours worked.
As more information becomes available over the next couple of months, I recognize we may still need to implement a furlough program. In the next month, my staff will work with labor and employee association representatives and managers to design a furlough program that puts public service delivery first. I hope we will get good news on our budget based on the 2nd Quarter projections and never have to use it, but in case it’s needed, we will have one ready.
This does not mean all our budget issues have been addressed. We still face a significant shortfall for 2021 that will require ongoing savings options to balance the budget.
Keep in mind that we are in an uncertain environment. No one can predict the state of economy and the rate at which city revenue-generating services will return. I will continue sharing information about budget projections as it becomes available, but wanted to share this news with you as you hopefully get ready to enjoy a three-day Memorial Day weekend with your family.
Thank you all for your continued hard work and dedication. I am proud to have the privilege of serving with you on Team City.
Be Well –
Mayor Satya
