Denver Mayor Mike Johnston sets starting date for layoffs of city workers next month
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston sent a letter to city employees this week notifying them that layoff notifications will go out over the course of a single week, starting Aug. 18.
Johnston didn’t say in the Tuesday letter — and hasn’t specified publicly — how many people will lose their jobs amid the city’s budget crisis. City officials have projected there will be a $250 million budget gap over the next two years.
“The continual slowdown in the economy we are seeing locally and nationally has deeply affected the city budget, and we need to build a budget that fits within the revenues we have,” he wrote.
Laid-off employees will receive 30 days of paid leave, including their salary and benefits. They will also get up to eight weeks of severance pay, depending on length of service. Their last day at work will be the day they receive notification of a layoff.
Denver’s Career Service Board decided earlier this month that it would allow managers to consider some merit-based factors when deciding layoffs, rather than just seniority.
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