Union Gap Cuts are Official

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Story Published: Oct 26, 2009 at 11:02 PM PST

By Stacy Lilienthal

Union Gap- A surprising decision at the Union Gap City Council meeting Monday night. Councilors not only made the 5 job cuts official, but they added a 6th unexpected one to their list.

"What's it like hearing that decision?" Action News asked Marilyn Norton after she found out she's been laid off from the police department. "It's very hard. Especially when you have a mortgage to pay and bills and things like that. Overtime is going to kill the city," she replied.

The council made the decisions in front of a standing-room-only crowd of people.

"Something has to be done immediately," city council member, Dan Olson said.

The council voted to eliminate 3 positions: the fire administrative secretary, legal administration secretary, and legal clerk receptionist. The police clerk will be laid off, and the community service officer (who does code enforcement, bailiff duties, and jail transportation) will be cut to a part-time position.

An extra job, not on the agenda list, was added. A janitor will also be cut. "It's tough, but so be it," council member, James Murr said.

Only one councilor opposed the cuts. "We're not in a budget deficit yet," council member, Dan Vanover stated.

But you could tell just by looking at the size of the crowd, how many from the community were against it. Some even said this big decision will spark big decisions for them.

"I'm putting my house up for sale tomorrow (Tuesday) because I'm embarrassed to be a citizen," one said. "I've been here since January of 1986 and have never seen the moral of this city, of employees as low as it is right now," Tim Whitehurst, President of International Firefighters Local 3680 started. "And I think I can guarantee you from this moment on that moral is only going to go down."

It's a heated decision to say the least. But it's one councilors say they had to vote for. The layoffs are to take effect immediately.

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