Coronavirus Cutbacks: Grass Valley Votes For Layoffs To Maintain Essential Services
GRASS VALLEY (CBS13) — The Grass Valley city council voted Tuesday to make job cuts so the city can maintain essential services amid the coronavirus crisis.
Grass Valley City Manager Tim Kiser said the city will freeze seven unfilled positions, including one police officer and three firefighters. They'll also lay off four people.
"It is a reality and one of the hardest things you can do, whether you're a business owner or a government agency, laying off employees in a desperate time is a tough thing," Kiser told CBS13 on Monday.
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He says this is especially tough heading into the peak of the fire season.
"It is going to affect us with fire season coming up. We were hoping to staff-up, and we will be facing that as we move forward," said Kiser.
Unable to pay to a nearly $300,000 drop in general fund revenue, the city's budget calls for scaling back on what the city manager calls "non-essential services."
