Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Three-day weekends might soon become the norm for city employees in Sebastopol.
Public employees will work a 36-hour workweek, City Hall will be closed on Fridays, and all other budget levels are frozen under the small Sonoma County city's plan to balance its $5 million budget without laying off any of its 44 city employees, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported.
The plan must be approved after a series of public meetings.
It could have been much worse, according to City Manager Jack Griffin, but at the same time, "I would like to see our picture improve so that we can make improvements within the city instead of just treading water," he told the newspaper.
Revenues are flat in Sebastopol, except for a dip in sales taxes. Other cities and regions have seen their sales tax revenues increase.
The move to cut the workweek, which must be approved by the city's public employee unions, will save $106,000. The support paid to arts and other nonprofit programs is slashed by 50 percent.
Police and fire services account for 77 percent of Sebastopol's budget.
