LAKE COUNTY ? The question of whether to lay off the county”s water resources program coordinator will wait until the county”s annual budget hearings are held in August, a decision reached after a10-minute discussion during the Tuesday Lake County Board of Supervisors meeting.
Carolyn Ruttan occupies the position in the Lake County Water Resources Division, which is part of the county”s Public Works Department. Lake County Public Works Director Brent Siemer told the board the layoff was necessary to partially allay an expected $1.4 million shortfall in grant money because of the state”s budget crisis.
“Essentially we would be downsizing by one full-time position, one half-time position to make budget,” Siemer said.
Siemer recommended the cut be made July 1, but Lake County Chief Administrative Officer Kelly Cox recommended funding Ruttan”s position another two months.
“I don”t feel entirely comfortable with the board taking this action until you actually see the budget and we have the final figures,” Cox said. “I am not sure how we”re going to be handling programs like the quagga mussel program and these various priorities that the board has given us if we don”t have the staff to do it.”
Layoffs have also been discussed in other departments, including the Mental Health Department. The board considered a layoff in the county”s Building and Safety Division in March, but gave no direction to Lake County Community Development Director Rick Coel.
“In Building and Safety, the workload was also down ? In this case, the work is still there,” Cox said.
Siemer said his department would likely overspend its budget by approximately $50,000 by the end of the fiscal year if the position wasn”t eliminated. Cox said other sources of funding were available to cover the position for two months, in addition to cost-cutting measures.
Siemer said after the meeting that Ruttan hadn”t been productive enough in procuring grants for the division”s watershed protection efforts, and her duties could easily be spread among the division”s three remaining employees.
“We have an assistant engineer position to fill, and that position would be able to do more functions, including the program coordinator,” Siemer said.
Pam Francis, deputy director of the Water Resources Division, said Ruttan”s position was primarily funded by grants. Seven grants were available in the 2006-07 fiscal year, according to Francis, but the only grant expected in 2009-10 is for the Middle Creek Ecosystem Restoration and Flood Damage Reduction Project.
In addition, Francis said the demand for building permits for docks and piers is down to 11 this year from as many as 90 last year. Francis also said fewer permits have been requested this year for aquatic weed spraying, another source of funding for Ruttan”s position.
Ruttan”s duties concerning the program designed to prevent the spread of the quagga mussel into Lake County water bodies included informing community stakeholders about education and training opportunities, a duty Siemer said is shared in the division.
Ruttan spoke to the board briefly, saying only she and Skip Simpkins handle lakebed management duties.
“Skip is retiring October 14th this year, and if my position ceases to exist lakebed management will not exist,” Ruttan said.
Siemer said later Ruttan “spoke out of turn,” and said Simpkins hadn”t officially indicated an intention to retire.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com, or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
