About a 100 thousand dollars a year, apparently!

 King County Laying Off 140 Transit Workers 



June 13, 2000 







KING COUNTY - Hit the road, Jack. 



The King County Transportation Department will lay off 140 
workers. 



King County Executive Ron Sims and County Council 
Transportation Committee Chair Chris Vance announced the 
layoffs Tuesday as part of a plan that cuts transportation 
administrative and support services by at least $14.6 million 
annually. 



The efficiency package will allow the county to use the savings to 
help preserve Metro Transit bus service and expand road 
investments. 



The plan is designed to help absorb deep revenue losses 
created by I-695. Affected employees will begin receiving layoff 
notices within a couple of weeks. 



Sims and Vance said the plan preserves an estimated 192,000 
hours of Metro Transit bus service and delivers about $860,000 
worth of additional road services. 



"This plan builds on efforts we've already taken to change the 
way we do business," said Sims. "By working leaner and more 
efficiently, we will make every attempt to make these reductions 
as seamless as possible." 



"The public will never trust us with more funding for 
transportation until they know we are spending the money we 
already have wisely," said Vance. "These efficiencies are a huge 
step toward creating that public confidence." 



The efficiency package calls for: 



* Eliminating the Department's Transportation Planning Division 
and reducing the division's 55-member work force by 28 by the 
end of 2000. The remaining 27 positions will be reassigned to 
other county divisions, saving more than $2 million. 



* Reducing the Community and Administrative Services Division 
by seven positions to 21 employees, saving $800,000. 



* Eliminating 28 administrative positions in the Transit Division, 
saving about $2.4 million. 



* Reducing overhead, capital projects and customer service and 
support functions not directly affecting bus operations, trimming 
an additional 86 positions by the end of 2001 for a savings of 
$9.4 million. 
 

-- (craigcar@crosswinds.net), June 14, 2000

Answers

Can I get one of these jobs?

-- georgieboy (briogb@hotmail.com), June 16, 2000.