Daley Announces First Round of Job Cuts

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Oct 10, 2008 7:40PM

Mayor Daley announced today that he'll combine several city departments and cut 240 jobs in an attempt to save money in the face of the city's $420 million budget deficit, mostly among management positions. Sayeth the Mayor:

This is a national, worldwide crisis. This is going to get worse. It will not get better. That’s the sad thing. During these challenging times, we all need to work together to provide the services our people need, but in a way that our taxpayers can afford...Sometimes in a crisis, you can do things you can’t do [during good times]. You have to realign and look at everything...I’ll make the choice, just like what your company and others [have to do]. You have to make choices

Of the 240 cuts, layoffs would account for 111 and the elimination of vacancies would account for the other 129. Overall, this round of job cuts will only save the city $5 million. Gotta start somewhere, we suppose. More details after the jump.

Photo of Mayor Daley by Michael DaKidd

The consolidations, according to the Sun-Times, would hash out as follows:

• A new Department of Family Support Services. It will merge the Departments of Human Services; Children and Youth Services; Senior Services; the Housing Department’s Plan to End Homelessness; and individual training responsibilities assigned to the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development.
• A new Department of Zoning and Land Use Planning. It will combine the Zoning Department, the Department of Environment’s property screening section and the land use section of the Department of Planning and Development.
• A new Department of Community Development. It will merge much of Planning and Development, most of Housing and the business side of the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development.
• A new Department of Business Affairs and Conumer Protection that includes licensing, inspections and consumer issues. It will merge the Deparments of Consumer Services and Business Affairs and Licensing.

[Trib, S-T]