Dozens of Mendocino County employees plan to resign this summer as part of a voluntary separation program the county is implementing as it faces a multi-million dollar budget deficit, the Board of Supervisors said.
During the board’s May 6 meeting, the county presented a summary of its fiscal year and its current budget deficit, which is $2.19 million as of this month.
At the meeting, the board discussed ways in which the county will be cutting costs in an attempt to decrease its deficit. One of the approved cost-cutting proposals is called the voluntary separation incentive program, where the county is offering to pay employees to resign from their positions.
Incentive payouts will be from $5,000 to $25,000, depending on length of service. Employees with 10 years or more of experience with the county are eligible to receive up to $25,000 in cash.
According to documents provided by the county, 28 employees expressed interest in resigning this summer. Of those, seven are county social workers, which could significantly impact resources for families, children and senior citizens.
Buyouts could result in savings, and more burnout
Tony Rakes, the deputy CEO of the county, explained during the budget presentation at the meeting that the anticipated savings from the voluntary incentive program could be up to $338,000.
A social services worker for the county’s Family and Children’s Services Department, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation from the county, said losing any number of employees will significantly impact departments already operating on thin margins.
“We are already lacking staff to adequately do our jobs. This is just one more burden,” the social worker said in an interview. “This all trickles down to Family and Children’s Services. When you don’t have adequate staff, that means it takes longer for people in the community to get ahold of somebody.”
She also explained that the voluntary incentive program will only lead to more burnout within social services departments and result in community members being inadequately served.
“Not only are the cuts affecting the operations of the county, but also there are the community effects too.” Supervisor John Haschak
“The biggest problem with the buyout thing is that you’re taking staff from overworked departments,” she added. “What the supervisors don’t think about is the trickle down into the community. If you do something to the county employees, that affects the community. That to me is the biggest problem with this.”
For 3rd District Supervisor John Haschak, these cuts, while crucial to restoring the county’s fiscal stability, will create challenges for some nonprofit groups as well as funding for senior centers on the coast and inland.
“We have had to cut out collaborative funding for some of the nonprofits in the county, and that’s putting a pinch on them,” Haschak explained in an interview. “Not only are the cuts affecting the operations of the county, but also there are the community effects too.”
Nonprofits brace for funding cuts
Earlier this year, the county sent a letter to the Willits Senior Center stating that it would cut $34,100 in funding due to budget constraints. As a result, the center will lay off members of its operations department, a key component of communications with older adults in the city of Willits.
Other potential cancellations of contracts with some nonprofit organizations and reduced grant matching could cause some county programs to lose their entire funding.
Haschak noted that in addition to county budget cuts, possible federal funding reductions could add insult to injury.
On a more hopeful note, Haschak said that while the county is experiencing difficult financial constraints, he is optimistic that the community will be able to pull through.
“It’s going to be difficult, but we are going to come through this,” he said. “As a county, we are pretty resilient.”