Ad Populos, Non Aditus, Pervenimus Published Every Thursday Since September 3, 1890 (908) 232-4407 USPS 680020 Thursday, March 29, 2012 OUR 122nd YEAR – ISSUE NO. 13-2012 Periodical – Postage Paid at Rahway, N.J. www.goleader.com
[email protected] SEVENTY FIVE CENTS County Sends Out Layoff Notices To 280 In Bid to Close Budget Gap By PAUL J. PEYTON there is no alternative,” Mr. Sullivan Arts Festival concerts, approving a Specially Written for The Westfield Leader said in a prepared statement read at $59,600 contract to promoter This Is It! COUNTY — Union County sent Thursday’s freeholder meeting. Productions of Hoboken. layoff notices out to 236 employees The layoffs follow program cuts high- Mr. Sullivan said all department di- last week, on top of 44 notices deliv- lighted by the cancellation of rectors were told to cut their budgets by ered in February, as the county looks to MusicFest, Rhythm & Blues by The 5 percent from 2011 adopted budget trim its payroll by June 1 to close what Brook and Kids Kingdom. Mr. Sullivan levels. In addition, Mr. Sullivan said the Freeholder Fiscal Affairs Committee also said the county would end funding freeholders, county manager and de- Chairman Dan Sullivan described as a to the Rutgers Cooperative Extension partment directors “all agreed to take a “very significant budget deficit.” In of Union County and eliminate the three-day salary reduction equivalent addition to the layoffs, another 72 va- Union County Division of Consumer to what three unions already accepted.” cant positions are being eliminated. Affairs, as well as freeze spending at The county police, county police supe- “During the past few years, we have 2011 levels for the Freeholders Schol- rior officers and Local 68 Engineers exhausted our options in preventing ars, Senior Scholars and College for bargaining units accepted the reduc- layoffs, but unfortunately this year, Teens programs.