BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. – The City of Blue Springs will observe a citywide furlough day on Wednesday, November 24, in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is traditionally a low traffic day, and therefore, the effects on operations should be minimal.
The City will officially be closed except for essential public safety services. All city buildings will be closed, including the city-operated state license bureau located at City Hall and Recycling Center located in Pink Hill Park. Police Headquarters will remain open to support essential public safety services.
“There is no shortage of news coverage reminding us all of the tough economic times we are living in,” said City Administrator Eric Johnson. “The City Council and I were faced with making some tough but necessary decisions to find additional cost savings to maintain a balanced budget while still providing quality services to our residents. To help achieve this goal, we are moving forward with the furlough program detailed in the approved budget plan for selected City employees. Executing such a plan attempts to avoid additional staffing reductions during these difficult times and allows the City to continue providing essential services to our residents.”
The 2010-11 Fiscal Year Budget adopted by the City Council in September, calls for two citywide furlough days. The second mandatory furlough day has not been scheduled yet, but is expected to be sometime in the Spring/Summer of 2011.
In addition to the two mandatory furlough days, pay raises for employees have not been budgeted and travel, training and overtime expenses have been reduced to help meet budget shortfalls.
“I truly thank all of our city employees for their understanding, their patience and most importantly, their shared sacrifices,” Johnson said. “We will overcome these challenging financial times by working together and continuing look for efficiencies in all areas of our organization.”
City offices will also be closed on Friday, November 26 as part of its normal Thanksgiving holiday observation. For more information, call Todd Pelham at (816) 228-0110.