ASPEN — The Aspen city government laid off 12 employees Thursday and eliminated four other positions, shaving $1.36 million off its operating budget.
“It is incredibly sad to say good-bye to people we have worked beside for years,” said City Manager Steve Barwick. “We regret the enormous impact these layoffs will have on their lives and hate that the extreme economic realities around us have led us to make these difficult decisions.”
Staff salaries also will be frozen for 2010.
Thursday’s personnel cuts follow more than $2.4 million in cuts made to the city’s 2009 general fund budget, which included eliminating or freezing 20 positions, with nine employee layoffs. In February, the city froze all employee salaries, and eliminated or reduced some benefits and bonuses. Those personnel and benefit cuts amounted to about $1.4 million in savings, said Sally Spaulding, the city’s community relations officer.
Read more about the Aspen budget problems and see which employees got cut at .
