Montgomery County officials are scrambling to find new jobs for 90 county employees whose positions likely will be eliminated in less than two months.
With the county facing a more than $550 million budget deficit, County Executive Ike Leggett has proposed eliminating 400 county jobs, 230 of which were filled. The County Council must approve the budget, but already has tentatively approved many of Leggett’s cuts.
About 140 of those 230 workers have found new positions in their current departments or left their jobs, but about 90 still need jobs, said Office of Human Resources Director Joseph Adler.
Adler said that when the county eliminated jobs in the past, it has been able to find others for willing workers. But this year, the county has fewer vacancies than in the past, Adler said.
“Anyone who wanted to stay, had stayed,” Adler said. “It’s a little bit more difficult this year.”
The county has about 200 openings, 90 of which are temporary jobs, said human resources manager Melissa Davis. But just because there are more openings than job seekers doesn’t guarantee that everyone losing a job will find a new one, Davis said. Those seeking to move into a new county job must meet the position’s minimum qualifications, which could include professional licensing requirements.
Council President Phil Andrews, D-Gaithersburg/Rockville, said the council should reconsider the need for buyouts if the county can find spots for the employees. Leggett’s proposed budget would offer $40,000 buyouts to county employees who are eligible for retirement or are within two years of retirement.
But a recent report by the Office of Legislative Oversight found that buyouts need to be targeted to employees whose positions wouldn’t be replaced to be cost effective. The report found that the buyout of 150 county employees in 2008 will wind up costing the county $12.8 million in the next 10 years. Leggett’s staff has disputed the report’s findings.
