Yonkers Goes Bonkers

The city of Yonkers, New York, facing a reported $16m budget deficit (hmm, where'd they learn that from? *cough* Clowngress.) revealed plans today to cut 200-300 city workers from the payroll by January 2009. About 75% of the city's budget goes to salary and personnel, so this is an obvious place to cut costs.

Taking into consideration that the city only employs around 3,100 people, these layoffs give testament to the severity of the fiscal corner these guys have painted themselves into.

Additional items were outlined in the announcement given by Yonkers' Mayor, Phil Amicone. Some of these items are:

• Indefinite hiring freeze
• Cancellation of police and fire academy classes planned for 2009
• $1.5m in cuts related to the city's school district
• 75% reduction in fees paid to consultants and contractors

The city of Yonkers is headquartered in Yonkers, New York.

Related:
Governments can lay off too, Government Bloat Under Scrutiny, Eroding of Spending in the City that Shouldn't Be