By Michelle L. Quinn, Post-Tribune correspondent
SCHERERVILLE -- Four town employees, including Planning Director Ed Malinowski, will be laid off due to an even more drastic budget reduction from the state, though two councilmen are adamant that not enough solutions avoiding layoffs were considered by the council.
The Town Council voted 3-2 Wednesday to implement an ordinance allowing for a one-time reorganization plan that ends up laying off Malinowski, an 18-year employee with the town; Schererville Police Training Officer Paul Haluska; and an employee in the IT department, said Councilman Rob Guetzloff, who dissented along with Councilman Tom Schmitt. A fourth employee will be relegated to on-call status.
Malinowski, who was at the meeting, had no comment on the action.
The state-certified budget knocked the wind out of everyone's sails when it arrived Monday, said Town Manager Bob Volkmann. When they started the 2009 budget process, they worked with a figure just more than $8 million, and that included cuts of $1.5 million already implemented.
The budget given, however, is $7,406,881 -- $662,573 less than they banked upon. And Volkmann said they must present $662,573 worth of cuts back to the state by Monday.
"The council is aware that is a very, very difficult thing to do," Volkmann said.
But Schmitt and Guetzloff, the two Democrats on the council, say there were many other options that weren't considered.
"They had blinders on when it came to these positions," Schmitt said. "We still didn't find out whether we could extend early retirement to those who have 15 years as well as those who have 20. They made this decision without the facts."
Schmitt also said that if everyone had taken one furlough day per quarter, the town would save $45,000 per day.
"This is not us agreeing that we should keep everyone, but this looks like another smoke-and-mirrors act," Guetzloff said, referring to last year's firing of Police Chief Dave Dowling.
"We don't know how we're going to fill (Malinowski's) position; there's no one in there who can or would do it."
A second ordinance allowed for those four and any other laid-off employees a week's worth of salary for every year they'd been with the town as severance; insurance benefits would cease with the last severance check.
The council voted 3-2 on first reading that as well, but Guetzloff and Schmitt said they'll likely vote "yes" at next month's meeting to make sure everyone let go receives severance.