Suffolk plan trims layoffs by almost 150

Suffolk lawmakers will vote Tuesday on a controversial proposal that would reduce planned summer layoffs by nearly 150 but still would, officials say, provide the same savings.

County Executive Steve Bellone announced Monday that he'd finished revising the layoff list his predecessor, Steve Levy, left behind. The legislature had funded 464 positions only through June; layoff notices are set to go out next week.

After meeting with lawmakers, labor unions and department heads, Bellone restored 126 social services positions -- many of which were funded by state and federal grants -- as well as nearly 50 law enforcement staff, from police officers to sheriff's deputies and district attorney investigators.

But to ensure the same $11.4 million in savings are met for the rest of 2012, officials increased health department layoffs by 25, and public works cuts by 10 positions.

The revisions, to be considered by the legislature in Riverhead, bring the July 1 layoff list to 315. The cuts are not counted in a projected $530 million budget gap through 2013.

"This is, in context of the bad news we've been dealing with in Suffolk County, a bit of very good news," Bellone said at an afternoon news conference.

Deputy Presiding Officer Wayne R. Horsley (D-Babylon) added that the revised list has the support of his 12-member majority. Bellone then issued a challenge, of sorts, to Republican lawmakers.

"I can't possibly see how you can vote against saving people's jobs," he said.

Legislative Minority Leader John M. Kennedy Jr. (R-Nesconset) disagreed with that assessment, saying that not supporting the revisions only means he believes there's still time for layoff-reducing alternatives. He said he will propose a bill giving members of Suffolk's largest union, the Association of Municipal Employees, an incentive of continued free health care if they choose early retirement, similar to what Bellone offered police unions to save 38 jobs.

"I'm not saying we're going to avoid layoffs altogether," Kennedy said. "I'm saying this 14-day time period shouldn't completely blow the financial schedule, and would give us the opportunity for further shrinkage of the list."

Cheryl Felice, outgoing AME president, said she welcomed Bellone's moves to "minimize the pain as much as possible. But it's regretful that nothing more could have been done to raise the amount of revenue we needed to save all the jobs."

Departments most affected by the layoff revisions also weighed in. Health Commissioner James Tomarken said he understands there must be "painful cuts no one is happy about," but credited Bellone with at least restoring 19 of his grant-funded positions.

On the other side, Social Services Commissioner Gregory Blass lauded the saving of most of the 147 positions he was set to lose, from child protective services caseworkers to Medicaid and food stamp examiners.

"If they had not heard our pleas, this department would sink," he said. "Now we have a fighting chance."