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Blagojevich to cut 450 state government jobs
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(photo) Blago cuts
STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER FILE PHOTO
Workers mow the grounds at the Dana-Thomas House State Historic Site in Springfield. The Dana-Thomas House is one of the dozen historical sites that will close Oct. 1 after Gov. Rod Blagojevich's cutbacks.
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* Blagojevich's cutbacks may hurt area businesses, social services (08/28/08)
By Ryan Keith
GATEHOUSE NEWS SERVICE
Posted Aug 28, 2008 @ 01:36 PM
Last update Aug 28, 2008 @ 09:14 PM
SPRINGFIELD —
The Blagojevich administration followed through on threats of painful government cutbacks today, with plans to lay off 450 state workers and close two dozen state parks and historic sites to save millions of dollars this fall.
The layoffs target four state agencies: about 300 positions at the Department of Children and Family Services, nearly 75 at the Department of Human Services, and a combined total of about 75 at the Department of Natural Resources and the Historic Preservation Agency.
A dozen historic sites will close Oct. 1, including the Dana-Thomas House in Springfield, while 11 state parks will be shuttered as of Nov. 1. Layoffs will be effective Dec. 1.
The moves were detailed first today by the main state employees’ union, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, after its workers received layoff notices. The cuts were confirmed later by the administration of Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
The announcement came as many Illinois Democrats are in Denver celebrating U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s nomination for president at the party’s national convention.
Blagojevich made $1.4 billion in spending cuts last month to help fill a hole he said topped $2 billion in the fiscal 2009 budget lawmakers sent him.
Blagojevich spokesman Brian Williamsen said today the cuts also were the product of a slowing economy, but he didn’t respond to a question about whether this round of cuts was the last.
“These were decisions we did not want to have to make,” Williamsen said. “Ultimately, this requires tough decisions to be made, including cutting programs and services and reducing the state work force.”
The union and lawmakers called the layoffs and closings unnecessarily heavy just a couple of months into the new budget year that began July 1.
“Every time I think he can’t do something worse, he does,” Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, said of the governor.
AFSCME warned the cuts will put abused children and needy families at risk and further hurt parks and historic sites. It urged lawmakers to return to the Capitol soon to try to reverse them.
“These cuts are irresponsible, and they are deep,” AFSCME executive director Henry Bayer said.
IHPA spokesman Dave Blanchette said 38 positions are being eliminated there. Closure decisions were mostly based on attendance averages and estimated attendance for next year’s Abraham Lincoln bicentennial celebration.
That event’s timing actually helped some Springfield sites. The bicentennial’s oversight commission has redirected $300,000 to ensure locations with Lincoln connections are open as much as possible, Blanchette said.
The closed historic sites will reopen for some special occasions, he said.
A few weeks ago, all historic sites started closing two days a week to save money. Lincoln’s New Salem in Petersburg and Lincoln’s Tomb, the Old State Capitol and the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices in Springfield are among those that will reopen seven days a week next spring.
“Without that commitment, you would have seen a much greater impact on especially the Springfield sites,” Blanchette said. “That is the silver lining in the cloud.”
At DNR, 39 employees are being laid off, mostly site technicians. Parks being shuttered are in northern and east-central Illinois, and one downstate legislator called that unfair.
“The whole issue is offensive generally, and it’s offensive regionally,” said Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley. “It could have been mitigated by spreading the pain.”
DNR spokesman Chris McCloud said the agency tried to close as few parks as possible while looking at park size and proximity to other parks. There are still hundreds of public parks throughout the state for visitors to enjoy for free, he said.
“Obviously, this is a very tough day for Illinois and for DNR,” McCloud said.
DCFS is targeting 306 positions for layoffs but expects to actually let go of 179 employees because some of those whose jobs are being eliminated will be able to transfer into positions in “higher-need areas,” spokesman Kendall Marlowe said.
The cuts will involve offices throughout the state, affect a mix of service and support staff and administrators, and save the department nearly $19.5 million, Marlowe said.
DHS spokesman Tom Green said the agency is cutting 73 staff members, 60 of them in a division that includes welfare caseworkers along with clerical staff and social-service career trainers. Those positions are scattered across the state.
AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall said nearly 430 of the 450 jobs affected by the cuts are represented by the union, putting the “vast majority of this pain” on front-line workers.
Rep. David Leitch, R-Peoria, said that is a mistake.
“A lot more administrative jobs should be sacrificed before front-line people are taken away,” Leitch said.
Staff writer Doug Finke contributed to this report. Ryan Keith can be reached at 217-788-1518.
The following sites will close effective Nov. 1:
Castle Rock State Park, Oregon
Lowden State Park, Oregon
Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park, Sheffield Illini State Park, Marseilles Channahon
Parkway State Park, Channahon Gebhard Woods State Park, Morris
Hidden Springs State Forrest, Strasburg
Kickapoo State Park, Oakwood
Moraine View State Park, Leroy
Weldon Springs State Park, Clinton
Wolf Creek State Park, Windsor
Total Staff Reductions: 39
25 Site Technician II
4 Rangers
3 Site Assistant Supers
1 Office Associate (part time)
3 Office Coordinator (2 part time/1 FT)
1 Site Security Officer (IFPE union)
1 Natural Resource Coordinator
1 Natural Resource Specialist
Historic sites:
Lincoln's New Salem, Petersburg: Will open seven days per week starting in spring 2009 using funds from the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. The site is currently open five days per week, and received 432,176 visitors in 2007.
Lincoln Tomb, Springfield: Will open seven days per week starting in spring 2009 using funds from the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. The site is currently open seven days per week but will reduce operations to five days per week starting September 1 due to the layoff of seasonal workers. The Tomb had 339,073 visitors in 2007.
Old State Capitol, Springfield: Will open seven days per week starting in spring 2009 using funds from the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. The site is currently open five days per week, and had 109,254 visitors in 2007.
Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices, Springfield: Will open seven days per week in spring 2009 using funds from the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. The site is currently open on Saturdays only and had 37,774 visitors in 2007.
Dana-Thomas House, Springfield: The site will close Oct. 1 but will open on a limited basis for special events. It is currently open five days per week, and had 41,045 visitors in 2007.
Vachel Lindsay Home, Springfield: Will be open on a limited schedule, with hours to be determined by staff at the Old State Capitol who also manage this site. The site is currently open on Saturdays only, and had 2,472 visitors in 2007.
Cahokia Mounds, Collinsville: The site will remain open five days per week. It had 329,428 visitors in 2007.
Lewis and Clark, Hartford: The site will remain open five days per week, and had 96,188 visitors in 2007.
Ulysses S. Grant Home, Washburne House and Old Market House, Galena: The Grant Home will remain open five days per week using funds from the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and the Illinois Bureau of Tourism. The Washburne House and the Old Market House will remain open on their current schedules using volunteers: Washburne House, open Fridays only; Old Market House, open five days per week. These Galena sites had 113,328 visitors in 2007.
Douglas Tomb, Chicago: The site will remain open five days per week. The sole employee lives on-site and is needed to provide security. The site had 13,456 visitors in 2007.
Pullman, Chicago: The site will not be impacted. It will remain open by appointment only. The sole employee maintains the collections, works with volunteers and provides security.
Black Hawk, Rock Island: The Hauberg Indian Museum will close Oct. 1, but the natural areas and lodge will remain open five days per week. The site had 138,668 visitors in 2007.
Lincoln Log Cabin, near Charleston: The site will close Oct. 1 but will open on a limited basis for special events. It is currently open five days per week, and had 82,735 visitors in 2007.
David Davis Mansion, Bloomington: The site will close Oct. 1 but will open on a limited basis for special events. It is currently open five days per week, and had 49,468 visitors in 2007.
Fort de Chartres, Prairie du Rocher: The site will close Oct. 1 but will open on a limited basis for special events. It is currently open five days per week, and had 38,100 visitors in 2007.
Vandalia Statehouse, Vandalia: The site will close Oct. 1 but will open on a limited basis for special events. It is currently open five days per week, and had 31,690 visitors in 2007.
Bishop Hill Museum, Colony Church and Bjorklund Hotel: These three buildings will close Oct. 1 but will be open on a limited basis for special events. They are currently open five days per week, and had 19,551 visitors in 2007.
Carl Sandburg, Galesburg: The site will close Oct. 1 but will open on a limited basis for special events. It is currently open five days per week, and had 8,598 visitors in 2007.
Cahokia Courthouse, Cahokia: The site will close Oct. 1 but will open on a limited basis for special events. It is currently open five days per week, and had 8,414 visitors in 2007.
Bryant Cottage, Bement: The site will close Oct. 1 but will open on a limited basis for special events. The site is currently open four days per week, and had 5,176 visitors in 2007.
Jubilee College, near Brimfield: The site will close Oct. 1. It is currently open five days per week, and had 72,780 visitors in 2007.
Apple River Fort, Elizabeth: The site will close Oct. 1. It is currently open five days per week, and had 24,693 visitors in 2007.
Fort Kaskaskia and Pierre Menard Home, Ellis Grove: These two sites, including the campground at Fort Kaskaskia, will close Oct. 1. These sites are currently open five days per week, and had 23,086 visitors in 2007.
Mount Pulaski Courthouse, Mount Pulaski, and Postville Courthouse, Lincoln, will remain open four days per week, and Metamora Courthouse, Metamora will remain open five afternoons per week. These sites are operated with volunteers.
Blagojevich to cut 450 state government jobs
* Photos
Photos
(photo) Blago cuts
STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER FILE PHOTO
Workers mow the grounds at the Dana-Thomas House State Historic Site in Springfield. The Dana-Thomas House is one of the dozen historical sites that will close Oct. 1 after Gov. Rod Blagojevich's cutbacks.
advertisement
* Related Links
* Blagojevich's cutbacks may hurt area businesses, social services (08/28/08)
By Ryan Keith
GATEHOUSE NEWS SERVICE
Posted Aug 28, 2008 @ 01:36 PM
Last update Aug 28, 2008 @ 09:14 PM
SPRINGFIELD —
The Blagojevich administration followed through on threats of painful government cutbacks today, with plans to lay off 450 state workers and close two dozen state parks and historic sites to save millions of dollars this fall.
The layoffs target four state agencies: about 300 positions at the Department of Children and Family Services, nearly 75 at the Department of Human Services, and a combined total of about 75 at the Department of Natural Resources and the Historic Preservation Agency.
A dozen historic sites will close Oct. 1, including the Dana-Thomas House in Springfield, while 11 state parks will be shuttered as of Nov. 1. Layoffs will be effective Dec. 1.
The moves were detailed first today by the main state employees’ union, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, after its workers received layoff notices. The cuts were confirmed later by the administration of Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
The announcement came as many Illinois Democrats are in Denver celebrating U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s nomination for president at the party’s national convention.
Blagojevich made $1.4 billion in spending cuts last month to help fill a hole he said topped $2 billion in the fiscal 2009 budget lawmakers sent him.
Blagojevich spokesman Brian Williamsen said today the cuts also were the product of a slowing economy, but he didn’t respond to a question about whether this round of cuts was the last.
“These were decisions we did not want to have to make,” Williamsen said. “Ultimately, this requires tough decisions to be made, including cutting programs and services and reducing the state work force.”
The union and lawmakers called the layoffs and closings unnecessarily heavy just a couple of months into the new budget year that began July 1.
“Every time I think he can’t do something worse, he does,” Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, said of the governor.
AFSCME warned the cuts will put abused children and needy families at risk and further hurt parks and historic sites. It urged lawmakers to return to the Capitol soon to try to reverse them.
“These cuts are irresponsible, and they are deep,” AFSCME executive director Henry Bayer said.
IHPA spokesman Dave Blanchette said 38 positions are being eliminated there. Closure decisions were mostly based on attendance averages and estimated attendance for next year’s Abraham Lincoln bicentennial celebration.
That event’s timing actually helped some Springfield sites. The bicentennial’s oversight commission has redirected $300,000 to ensure locations with Lincoln connections are open as much as possible, Blanchette said.
The closed historic sites will reopen for some special occasions, he said.
A few weeks ago, all historic sites started closing two days a week to save money. Lincoln’s New Salem in Petersburg and Lincoln’s Tomb, the Old State Capitol and the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices in Springfield are among those that will reopen seven days a week next spring.
“Without that commitment, you would have seen a much greater impact on especially the Springfield sites,” Blanchette said. “That is the silver lining in the cloud.”
At DNR, 39 employees are being laid off, mostly site technicians. Parks being shuttered are in northern and east-central Illinois, and one downstate legislator called that unfair.
“The whole issue is offensive generally, and it’s offensive regionally,” said Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley. “It could have been mitigated by spreading the pain.”
DNR spokesman Chris McCloud said the agency tried to close as few parks as possible while looking at park size and proximity to other parks. There are still hundreds of public parks throughout the state for visitors to enjoy for free, he said.
“Obviously, this is a very tough day for Illinois and for DNR,” McCloud said.
DCFS is targeting 306 positions for layoffs but expects to actually let go of 179 employees because some of those whose jobs are being eliminated will be able to transfer into positions in “higher-need areas,” spokesman Kendall Marlowe said.
The cuts will involve offices throughout the state, affect a mix of service and support staff and administrators, and save the department nearly $19.5 million, Marlowe said.
DHS spokesman Tom Green said the agency is cutting 73 staff members, 60 of them in a division that includes welfare caseworkers along with clerical staff and social-service career trainers. Those positions are scattered across the state.
AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall said nearly 430 of the 450 jobs affected by the cuts are represented by the union, putting the “vast majority of this pain” on front-line workers.
Rep. David Leitch, R-Peoria, said that is a mistake.
“A lot more administrative jobs should be sacrificed before front-line people are taken away,” Leitch said.
Staff writer Doug Finke contributed to this report. Ryan Keith can be reached at 217-788-1518.
The following sites will close effective Nov. 1:
Castle Rock State Park, Oregon
Lowden State Park, Oregon
Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park, Sheffield Illini State Park, Marseilles Channahon
Parkway State Park, Channahon Gebhard Woods State Park, Morris
Hidden Springs State Forrest, Strasburg
Kickapoo State Park, Oakwood
Moraine View State Park, Leroy
Weldon Springs State Park, Clinton
Wolf Creek State Park, Windsor
Total Staff Reductions: 39
25 Site Technician II
4 Rangers
3 Site Assistant Supers
1 Office Associate (part time)
3 Office Coordinator (2 part time/1 FT)
1 Site Security Officer (IFPE union)
1 Natural Resource Coordinator
1 Natural Resource Specialist
Historic sites:
Lincoln's New Salem, Petersburg: Will open seven days per week starting in spring 2009 using funds from the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. The site is currently open five days per week, and received 432,176 visitors in 2007.
Lincoln Tomb, Springfield: Will open seven days per week starting in spring 2009 using funds from the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. The site is currently open seven days per week but will reduce operations to five days per week starting September 1 due to the layoff of seasonal workers. The Tomb had 339,073 visitors in 2007.
Old State Capitol, Springfield: Will open seven days per week starting in spring 2009 using funds from the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. The site is currently open five days per week, and had 109,254 visitors in 2007.
Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices, Springfield: Will open seven days per week in spring 2009 using funds from the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. The site is currently open on Saturdays only and had 37,774 visitors in 2007.
Dana-Thomas House, Springfield: The site will close Oct. 1 but will open on a limited basis for special events. It is currently open five days per week, and had 41,045 visitors in 2007.
Vachel Lindsay Home, Springfield: Will be open on a limited schedule, with hours to be determined by staff at the Old State Capitol who also manage this site. The site is currently open on Saturdays only, and had 2,472 visitors in 2007.
Cahokia Mounds, Collinsville: The site will remain open five days per week. It had 329,428 visitors in 2007.
Lewis and Clark, Hartford: The site will remain open five days per week, and had 96,188 visitors in 2007.
Ulysses S. Grant Home, Washburne House and Old Market House, Galena: The Grant Home will remain open five days per week using funds from the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and the Illinois Bureau of Tourism. The Washburne House and the Old Market House will remain open on their current schedules using volunteers: Washburne House, open Fridays only; Old Market House, open five days per week. These Galena sites had 113,328 visitors in 2007.
Douglas Tomb, Chicago: The site will remain open five days per week. The sole employee lives on-site and is needed to provide security. The site had 13,456 visitors in 2007.
Pullman, Chicago: The site will not be impacted. It will remain open by appointment only. The sole employee maintains the collections, works with volunteers and provides security.
Black Hawk, Rock Island: The Hauberg Indian Museum will close Oct. 1, but the natural areas and lodge will remain open five days per week. The site had 138,668 visitors in 2007.
Lincoln Log Cabin, near Charleston: The site will close Oct. 1 but will open on a limited basis for special events. It is currently open five days per week, and had 82,735 visitors in 2007.
David Davis Mansion, Bloomington: The site will close Oct. 1 but will open on a limited basis for special events. It is currently open five days per week, and had 49,468 visitors in 2007.
Fort de Chartres, Prairie du Rocher: The site will close Oct. 1 but will open on a limited basis for special events. It is currently open five days per week, and had 38,100 visitors in 2007.
Vandalia Statehouse, Vandalia: The site will close Oct. 1 but will open on a limited basis for special events. It is currently open five days per week, and had 31,690 visitors in 2007.
Bishop Hill Museum, Colony Church and Bjorklund Hotel: These three buildings will close Oct. 1 but will be open on a limited basis for special events. They are currently open five days per week, and had 19,551 visitors in 2007.
Carl Sandburg, Galesburg: The site will close Oct. 1 but will open on a limited basis for special events. It is currently open five days per week, and had 8,598 visitors in 2007.
Cahokia Courthouse, Cahokia: The site will close Oct. 1 but will open on a limited basis for special events. It is currently open five days per week, and had 8,414 visitors in 2007.
Bryant Cottage, Bement: The site will close Oct. 1 but will open on a limited basis for special events. The site is currently open four days per week, and had 5,176 visitors in 2007.
Jubilee College, near Brimfield: The site will close Oct. 1. It is currently open five days per week, and had 72,780 visitors in 2007.
Apple River Fort, Elizabeth: The site will close Oct. 1. It is currently open five days per week, and had 24,693 visitors in 2007.
Fort Kaskaskia and Pierre Menard Home, Ellis Grove: These two sites, including the campground at Fort Kaskaskia, will close Oct. 1. These sites are currently open five days per week, and had 23,086 visitors in 2007.
Mount Pulaski Courthouse, Mount Pulaski, and Postville Courthouse, Lincoln, will remain open four days per week, and Metamora Courthouse, Metamora will remain open five afternoons per week. These sites are operated with volunteers.
