Travis County Commissioners try re-assure employees about their jobs as the county begins reevaluating their budgeting process.
Some people who are employed by Travis County are worried about the future of their jobs with eminent budget cuts from revenue caps. Commissioner Gerald Daugherty has this stern message for elected officials and department heads. “You have got to think differently than what you have thought in the past about how you run your department. This is a new day!”
The caps limit the taxing ability of the county. Judge Sarah Eckhardt says with less money coming in no layoffs are planned but positions that are open could get cut. “Vacant positions that have been vacant for a period of time indicating that we need to revisit the reason for them and why they’re not being filled.”
Commissioners have said no layoffs are planned but Commissioner G Daugherty is not sugarcoating it. “People need to understand that we have got to have managers that can really manage; and that we are expecting that to happen.”
Commissioners are telling departments to expect belt-tightening in the coming months and years with a project revenue shortfall of $31 million over the next five years.
