The city of Superior is bracing for the fallout of a $5.4 billion state budget shortfall.
While the governor and Legislature haven't begun to address the state's largest deficit, city officials are notifying city workers that vacated positions won't be filled. However, the letter continues, that doesn't guarantee the city won't lay off employees if the impact to shared revenue from Madison is more significant than city officials expect.
Mayor Dave Ross said the city set a near-term goal to reduce the work force by six positions in 2009.
"We believe we can take these six positions through attrition," Ross said. "Now this is a more orderly way to reduce our work force rather than to find out when the state budget is settled and we have a reduction in shared revenue, we're talking layoffs or a reduction of work hours."
City labor contracts do not allow the city to reduce work hours.
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Ross said it would be unfair to lay employees off and disrupt lives when the city can reduce the work force through retirements that create the opportunity to eliminate positions.
This is not the only action the city is planning to take to reduce costs.
"There will be a number of other cuts we will have to make in order to meet a reduction in shared revenue for the city of Superior," Ross said. "So, it's not just the work force that we're targeting."
Ross said city officials will revisit all aspects of the city budget and every city department is on the table for potential cuts.
