03-10-2008, 08:27 PM
North Port lays off 13
Eleven are from the city's building department
By John Davis
NORTH PORT -- The city laid off 13 employees Tuesday, telling them they are no longer needed because of the prolonged building construction slump.
Eleven of the 13 are from the city's building department, and 2 are city vehicle fleet mechanics, no longer needed since fewer building inspectors will be on the road.
"It's not the fault of any employee," said City Manager Steve Crowell. "It's just related to workload."
Home building has languished, with North Port issuing only 17 new home permits in February, close to the five-year low of 12 in August and December.
The layoffs underscore the depth of the home building slump in North Port, which boomed as late as 2006, when permits routinely reached triple digits in a single month. Now the city is dealing with a large inventory of homes and little demand for new ones.
Crowell said he believes the slowdown will continue in North Port for "probably a year, if not more."
The laid-off employees were given two weeks' pay and can access health benefits through April.
For months, North Port had avoided the staff cuts that other area governments implemented because of the economic slowdown.
North Port transferred workers from building to other departments, and put workers on 30-hour weeks in an attempt to ride out the slump. But the numbers did not rebound enough to justify the jobs.
"You don't pay people for not working," said Danny Schult, assistant city manager.
Building director Scott Williams said the layoffs were not a surprise to employees.
"It was just a matter of time," said Ted Petrone, a plumbing inspector who lost his job Tuesday after two years with the city.
Last modified: March 5, 2008 2:21am
Eleven are from the city's building department
By John Davis
NORTH PORT -- The city laid off 13 employees Tuesday, telling them they are no longer needed because of the prolonged building construction slump.
Eleven of the 13 are from the city's building department, and 2 are city vehicle fleet mechanics, no longer needed since fewer building inspectors will be on the road.
"It's not the fault of any employee," said City Manager Steve Crowell. "It's just related to workload."
Home building has languished, with North Port issuing only 17 new home permits in February, close to the five-year low of 12 in August and December.
The layoffs underscore the depth of the home building slump in North Port, which boomed as late as 2006, when permits routinely reached triple digits in a single month. Now the city is dealing with a large inventory of homes and little demand for new ones.
Crowell said he believes the slowdown will continue in North Port for "probably a year, if not more."
The laid-off employees were given two weeks' pay and can access health benefits through April.
For months, North Port had avoided the staff cuts that other area governments implemented because of the economic slowdown.
North Port transferred workers from building to other departments, and put workers on 30-hour weeks in an attempt to ride out the slump. But the numbers did not rebound enough to justify the jobs.
"You don't pay people for not working," said Danny Schult, assistant city manager.
Building director Scott Williams said the layoffs were not a surprise to employees.
"It was just a matter of time," said Ted Petrone, a plumbing inspector who lost his job Tuesday after two years with the city.
Last modified: March 5, 2008 2:21am