No hiring freeze for County
By Donna Comella  

Late last month, the County's Fiscal Advisory Team recommended that supervisors 'Immediately institute an absolute hiring freeze for both new positions and vacancies.'

On Tuesday, before even debating a 'watered down' version of a freeze, supervisors approved filling a 2nd Deputy County Clerk position at a salary of $32,000. Only Frank Guelli (Walworth) opposed the move. Authorization to fill a vacant Temporary Clerk Typist in the Mental Health Dept. was later put on hold until next month.

Soon, the discussion began on a resolution that would not freeze hiring, but would require many department heads to wait six months before filling a vacancy. That waiting period would be for 'Non-Critical' positions. The resolution calls for 'Critical' positions (i.e., jobs that would imperil safety or health) to remain vacant for 60 days. The plan also spells out exemptions from the new policy.

The resolution had been approved by the Finance Committee, but not the Personnel Committee. It was presented by Finance Chair Don Colvin (Savannah), and, almost immediately, Dave Spickerman (Butler) attempted to have it tabled. He failed.

'We gotta start someplace,' said Guelli.

Spickerman said he agreed, but he would rather see a 'total hiring freeze across the board until the end of the year.' According to Spickerman, the policy has 'too many holes' in it to be effective.

Bill Hammond (Macedon) called the plan 'redundant' and pointed out that supervisors already have the authority to accomplish the same things at the committee level.

Leo Jenkins (Galen) called it 'a step in the right direction' and said they could 'fine tune' it later. 'I fully support it.'

'We don't need a step in the right direction, we need a leap in the right direction,' said Chuck Frederick (Huron). He told supervisors that the plan was not the long-term fix they needed.

Several department heads spoke out against the 'hiring freeze.' Bob Stanton, a local businessman who serves on the Fiscal Team, told the Board, ' If you adopt a hiring freeze, you will hear screams from department heads. You're hearing them now.' He advised them, 'Ladies and gentlemen, you've got to learn to say 'NO.''

The resolution passed.

Voting against it were supervisors Jody Bender (Marion), Dave Lyon (Palmyra), Spickerman, Frederick, and Hammond.

Voting for the policy were Joe DeSanto (Arcadia), Jenkins, Jim Fabino (Lyons), Joe Molino (Ontario), Colvin, Donna Chittenden (Sodus), Guelli, Jim Hoffman (Williamson), and Chairman Marv Decker (Wolcott).

Rose Supervisor Carm Pascarella was absent.

The Fiscal Report pointed to a 2004 cost of $50 million for employee wages, salaries, benefits and payroll costs. The county has 885 full-time and 196 part-time employees (total 1081 employees). In five years, full-time posts increased by over 25 percent, and part-time jobs went up by 13 percent. Figures tallied by the Rochester Business Journal, show that County government itself is the largest employer in the county.

The Fiscal Team predicted 'massive and hastily planned layoffs' in 3 to 5 years if the county does not change its course.

Click here to read the entire Fiscal Advisory Team report.

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