Evanston City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz, in a memo this morning to city employees, says he’s decided not to ask the City Council to approve a furlough day for city workers in September.
The furlough day was one option under consideration to respond to the possibility of cuts in state aid to municipalities.
Bobkiewicz says he went with Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl to Springfield on Tuesday where she testified on pension issues that form a major part of state and local budget problems.
But the city manager says there was a general sense in Springfield that “no progress will be made anytime soon” on resolving the state’s budget impasse.
Bobkiewicz says, “Saving money from a one day furlough would provide a cushion to whatever the State does to the City of Evanston, but I have no idea if it would help a little or a lot.”
“It is not worth impacting your finances under these circumstances,” the manager told the city workers in his memo.
Bobkiewicz says, “The current year City budget remains in good shape,” but that a December furlough day remains an option, as do other cost saving measures, depending on the outcomes in Springfield.
He added that he expects a final report on the analysis of a possible reorganization of the Public Works and Utilities departments from Assistant City Manager Marty Lyons within the next couple of weeks.