EVERETT — The Everett City Council is considering buyouts for city employees to address next year’s budget deficit after the failure of Proposition 1 this month.
The buyouts aim to reduce costs by offering employees an incentive to retire or quit their jobs.
The proposal was first discussed at Wednesday’s council meeting. It could come to a vote Aug. 28.
Employees who accept the buyouts must separate before Nov. 30 of this year.
The current proposal would offer employees a severance of four months of base salary, six months of city-paid medical benefits and one year’s access to the Vera Clinic, according to city staff. The details are subject to change before the final vote.
The city will offer buyouts to employees in the administration, communications, economic development, emergency management, library, parks, fire and police departments. It will also be offered to all members of the police management union and select members of the public employee union. It is currently unclear exactly how many buyouts it will offer.
“Employees that have spent a lot of time with the city and have a lot of institutional knowledge, I hate to see them go,” council member Judy Tuohy said at Wednesday’s meeting.
The proposed ordinance comes in the wake of residents last week voting down the city’s property tax levy lid lift, intended as a solution to the deficit.
“I am sad and disappointed to see that voters decided against this ballot measure,” Mayor Cassie Franklin said at last week’s council meeting. “Moving forward we face likely very painful decisions on where to make cuts and services to overcome a projected $12.6 million deficit next year.”
City staff said this is a first step while they search for other budget-reduction options. The council previously considered merging the city library with Sno-Isle libraries and merging the city’s fire department with a regional fire authority.
In 2019, the city offered a similar program to over 300 employees in the face of an $11 million budget deficit.
“We have used the tool of voluntary separations in the past to offer an option for staff who are already considering leaving the city,” Franklin said. “This requires negotiations, so we will need to act now to ensure it’s in place to achieve the necessary savings to begin to address the deficit for 2025.”
Roger Moller, staff representative from the Washington State Council of County and City Employees, said the program sounds promising but there is concern about who will receive offers and job security going forward.
“We supported Proposition 1, and there were a lot of wringing of hands when it lost,” he said. “Our contract expires at the end of the year and there’s a lot of angst amongst the membership as to what’s going to happen with their jobs.”
Connor Zamora: 425-339-3037; connor.zamora@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @cgzamora02.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
