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Taft, Calif. —
The Taft City Council will be asked to approve two phases of layoffs at the Taft Community Correctional Facility that will leave 46 people without jobs Tuesday night.
The facility will be closed on Nov. 30 with only a skeleton staff and remain closed until at least March, costing the city hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The council met in closed session on Thursday to discuss the layoffs, and has scheduled a special closed session for 5 p.m. Tuesday, prior to the start of the 7 p.m. regular meeting.
All state inmates are expected to be gone by Nov. 14, according to a city staff report, and there are no incoming inmates from counties until at least March.
Under the proposal, 22 employees will be laid off on Oct. 28 and 24 more employees would go around Nov. 18, leaving only a skeleton staff of three at the CCF.
The city is encouraging the CCF staff to use accumulated sick time and days off stay on the city payroll for a time at least, to save the city from additional costs.
When the laid off workers go on unemployment, it will cost much more than to continue paying health care benefits.
“The City is liable for 100% of actual costs for unemployment compensation. If all employees were laid off and eligible for unemployment benefits, the cost would be approximately $83,000 per month whereas the cost to maintain health benefits while the impacted employees remain on payroll is approximately $30,000 per month,” interim human resource director Lonn Boyer wrote in a staff report.
The Taft City Council will be asked to approve two phases of layoffs at the Taft Community Correctional Facility that will leave 46 people without jobs Tuesday night.
The facility will be closed on Nov. 30 with only a skeleton staff and remain closed until at least March, costing the city hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The council met in closed session on Thursday to discuss the layoffs, and has scheduled a special closed session for 5 p.m. Tuesday, prior to the start of the 7 p.m. regular meeting.
All state inmates are expected to be gone by Nov. 14, according to a city staff report, and there are no incoming inmates from counties until at least March.
Under the proposal, 22 employees will be laid off on Oct. 28 and 24 more employees would go around Nov. 18, leaving only a skeleton staff of three at the CCF.
The city is encouraging the CCF staff to use accumulated sick time and days off stay on the city payroll for a time at least, to save the city from additional costs.
When the laid off workers go on unemployment, it will cost much more than to continue paying health care benefits.
“The City is liable for 100% of actual costs for unemployment compensation. If all employees were laid off and eligible for unemployment benefits, the cost would be approximately $83,000 per month whereas the cost to maintain health benefits while the impacted employees remain on payroll is approximately $30,000 per month,” interim human resource director Lonn Boyer wrote in a staff report.
