Gwinnett BOC May Cut Some Holiday Pay

Gwinnett County Commissioners are considering making four holidays unpaid furlough days for county workers to help eliminate the county's $18 million budget deficit.

The county announced Friday that converting Independence Day, Labor Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Eve to unpaid furlough days would save about $2.8 million, and that all measures being considered would leave Gwinnett about $2.6 million short of covering its general fund shortfall.

The commissioners will consider the measures at the March 1 meeting.

Other measures under consideration by the county:

-- Reducing contributions to its Risk Management and Workers Compensation funds and its Fleet/Equipment Capital Project Fund.

-- Eliminating seven vacant positions, the ad budget for vacant positions, and cutting part-time salaries in the police department.

-- Paying off a 2002 general obligation bond and redirecting the .23 mill tax levy that had been servicing that debt toward general operations.

“In this time of severe economic challenges on the national and local levels, we can’t solve these problems without reducing our number one cost, which is personnel,” Commission Vice Chair Shirley Lasseter said.

Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway expressed support. "I understand the county's serious financial situation and support the implementation of employee furlough days as a way of cutting expenses," she said. 

Gwinnett residents can follow these and other cost-cutting developments on the county's Web site:www.gwinnettcounty.com.