Hollister's City Council has unanimously voted in closed session to rescind the layoffs of 35 city workers, reversing a decision made earlier this month by the city's now-former city manager, KSBW reported Oct. 27.
How it got here
The city issued 30-day termination notices on Oct. 14, citing years-long fiscal deficits, BenitoLink reported. At a raucous Oct. 19 meeting, more than 30 public speakers — including employees under termination notices — urged the council to rescind the notices and fire City Manager Ana Cortez. Both main employee unions, the Police Officers Association and SEIU 521, had taken no-confidence votes against her. That night the council retracted its fiscal emergency declaration and asked employees to return to work. Cortez was later dismissed.
"I think they heard the public and the employee saying that, you know, it's not really okay to base layoff decisions on faulty or deficient accounting," Bo Leland of the Hollister Police Officers Association told KSBW.
The budget problem remains
Reinstating the jobs doesn't solve Hollister's deficit. Leland said unions need to understand the size of the shortfall and what share is expected from police union savings before deciding on concessions or furloughs. The city will hold weekly budget meetings every Monday, and if major savings can't be found, layoffs may be reconsidered, KSBW reported.