Update: We have obtained a copy of the memo. It reads, in part, “as a courtesy, we want you to know as soon as possible that your position is at risk of reduction as of January of 201 1. While we won’t know for certain until later this year, we want you to have as much time as possible to prepare if a reduction were to occur.” You can read the entire memo here.
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Lynnwood is facing an estimated $20 million budget shortfall over the next two years and now it appears the axe is starting to fall at city hall.
More than 100 staff members were notified this week that they could lose their jobs as soon as January. That’s about a quarter of all city employees.
One staffer told us Mayor Don Gough gave managers a “courtesy letter” on Monday to give to all employees that “may have their job impacted by the $20 million shortfall.” They were supposed to meet with each person and hand it out Wednesday.
The source said two newspaper reporters were called to a press conference with the mayor yesterday, but the mayor did not show up. Mayor Gough has been at the center of an investigation into his alleged mistreatment of city employees. Last month the City Council called on Gough to resign.
We’re working to get more details on this story, including the departments most affected by the layoffs. Stay tuned.
Does this mean that the layoffs will start at the top? Strip the Mayor and City Council of their support staff along with everyone else's.
Budget shortfall? In Lynnwood, where every major intersection is monitored with a hair-trigger to dispense $140 traffic infraction tickets?
And where cops are regularly spotted hiding in wait to dispense more tickets?
Where a perfectly functional community center/pool has been demolished to build an extravagant and elaborate “water park” because between traffic tickets and business taxes they did not know what else to do with their revenue? My son was a lifeguard there and is now a lifeguard in Seattle, and he observed that the now-demolished complex was as nice or nicer than any of the facilities in Seattle.
But Lynnwood created such a revenue stream that they had money to spare.
Remove the cameras, or reduce the penalties to that of parking infractions.
Recall the rotten mayor and remove the rotten city council members!!!… who have turned Lynnwood into a Big Brother constant-observation police state to squeeze every possible dollar out of its citizens.
Why would anyone listen to a crackpot paranoid like “art vandalay”? The whole traffic camera diatribe doesn't even have anything to do with this situation. If you don't want a ticket, stop driving like a selfish moron. And what a complete idiot he is, saying we should remove a revenue stream as a solution to a budget problem! I say we should make all traffic offenses a $1,000 fine and vehicle impoundment. Maybe then irresponsible idiots will stop murdering people so they can get to work two minutes faster.
So the Mayor didn't show up to his own press conference or was it the newspaper reporters that didn't show up?
Budget shortfall? In Lynnwood, where every major intersection is monitored with a hair-trigger to dispense $140 traffic infraction tickets?
And where cops are regularly spotted hiding in wait to dispense more tickets?
Where a perfectly functional community center/pool has been demolished to build an extravagant and elaborate “water park” because between traffic tickets and business taxes they did not know what else to do with their revenue? My son was a lifeguard there and is now a lifeguard in Seattle, and he observed that the now-demolished complex was as nice or nicer than any of the facilities in Seattle.
But Lynnwood created such a revenue stream that they had money to spare.
Remove the cameras, or reduce the penalties to that of parking infractions.
Recall the rotten mayor and remove the rotten city council members!!!… who have turned Lynnwood into a Big Brother constant-observation police state to squeeze every possible dollar out of its citizens.
It was the mayor who didn't show up.
are you sure that memo is genuine ?
I find it ironic that, just to the left of this article, is an advertisement for testing to work for the Lynnwood Police Department.
I obtained the memo through a public disclosure request so I have no doubt about its authenticity.
You know, it's too bad you can't sell convention centers on Ebay. And they say technology will solve all of our problems . . .
It looks like the Mayor is firing back at the staff with this memo. Its time Lynnwood went to a city manager form of government. This would have never happened with a City Manager.
You're grossly exaggerating the number of cameras and the revenue from them. Most of Lynnwood's revenue is from sales taxes from the Alderwood Mall. Lynnwood's fiscal problems stem from assuming that sales tax revenue would continue growing from its peak in 2006. (But, yes, the new community center is a waste of money and they mayor should be removed.)
He's not exaggerating the camera revenues . They have been worth millions of $$$ to Lynnwood. In fact, there has been a particularly steep surge in revenues recently. Nevertheless the city's approach to management is akin to throwing shit down a black hole and we're still millions in the red.
Getting rid of 25% of the city's bloated staff of bungling incompetents is long overdue and is welcomed by many of us who live in this town and are sick to death of them and their ceaseless blubbering and bellyaching.
With any luck the mayor will be able to get rid of most of the city's dead wood and finally be able to get things moving again.
Walking beside Lynnwood's busy streets is still very dangerous. We have fools like you running red lights and not thinking about pedestians as you talk into your handheld phone. ($124.00 ticket)
As for the rec center, WE THE PEOPLE told the city that is what we wanted. Stop your whining.
It is very simple…..don't run the light. Guess what no ticket and no money for Lynnwood.
A city manager isn't the answer. Look at Mukilteo's gov. They have a mayor that whined because he wasn't making enough money in his part time job 85,000 or more now. Plus a manager over a 100,000.
I say if you want a city manager, move to Mukilteo.
You may be ready and willing to bend over and spread 'em wide for Big Brother, but I'm not.
This was never about curtailing red-light running. The issue is these cameras deliberately *causing* red-light running due to artificially shortened yellow caution cycles.
Of course, in all likelihood you're just a sock-puppet for the Arizona company that profits from framing and extorting Lynnwood motorists.
Moving to a city manager will accomplish nothing but transferring executive power to the already power-mad city council, and in Lynnwood's case it would result in public employees run 100% amok.
Nobody's fooled.
The major depts that maybe effected will your fantastic law enforcement officers and our wonderful firefighters who just saved the lives of many people from the lynnview apartment fire. Maybe if cuts do go thur fire station 14 is threaten thus decreasing fire protection and medical aid in this city. What I feel needs to happen is the city prepare to institute a city income tax for highest wage earners pending the passage of I-1098 this will bring in a steady stream of revenue for the city.
Well Bettyforfreedom, you sound like a deluded card-carrying flag-waving Tea Party numbskull. JacquesKlahaya has it right in his responses to you. You call yourself “for freedom” but Lynnwood as Surveillance City is fine with you. Blind and brain-dead as the old bat you are. Freedom my a**. You must have loved Joe McCarthy and the world according to Orwell.
Fools like me running red lights and talking on cell phones? You assume a lot, and wrongly, Bettyforfreedom. Believe in freedom, do ye'? Well, doesn't that make you special.
Hay Fred, your a politicians dream! These scare tactics have not even come to fruition yet and already your begging for more taxes.
Don't buy into the fear.