Finance Committee calls for hiring freeze

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The city’s Finance Committee on Monday night voted to recommend that the council impose a freeze on the hiring of city employees.

The recommendation came before committee members got down to the business of reviewing Mayor Dean Knudson’s 2009 budget proposal, which he has dubbed the 5:5:50 plan.

It would provide for a 5 percent property tax cut, a 5 percent increase in city department operating costs and a 50 percent increase in the long-term capital improvement budget.

The 5 percent tax cut paired with a 5 percent increase in department budgets is possible because the city is closing its Tax Increment District No. 4, which will increase the city’s tax base by 12 percent.

Alderpersons Lee Wyland and Alan Burchill debated the necessity of the freeze and what it would mean before ultimately voting to recommend it to the full City Council. Alderperson Lori Bernard also voted in favor of the hiring freeze. The Finance Committee is chaired by Mayor Knudson.

Wyland questioned the necessity of the freeze. He said the city’s hiring process could be changed instead so that every time a city position comes open, the Finance Committee reviews whether it is necessary to fill it.

City Administrator Devin Willi said that currently open positions are simply posted to give other union-represented city employees a change to move into them.

“The default is that the position is filled,” explained Knudson. He said the hiring freeze would change that to requiring a council vote to override the freeze in order to fill an open position.

“The economy is such that we have to start looking at those things. The money is just not there,” said Burchill.

He said he wanted the city to become more “business-like” in reviewing the necessity of positions.

Tags: news, hudson, hiring, freeze, 5_5_50