Talks of More Layoffs Echo Through City Hall

Hercules is bracing itself for more city employee layoffs, and all departments—including police—could be on the chopping block.

Recently, a letter was circulated to city departments notifying them of possible layoffs, said Hercules police detective and Hercules Police Officers Association President Alex Abetkov.

“We haven’t been told for sure if we are going to be affected, but we are bracing for worse,” Abetkov says police.

The layoffs would come 11 months after the city reduced its workforce by 40 percent—through layoffs and attrition—compared to the year before.

Also in roughly the last year, the police department has dropped from 30 to 23 sworn officers, dropping below the one officer to every 1,000 residents safety standard.

“What we were told last year was that all non-essential positions had been cut,” Abetkov said.

City Manager Steve Duran said it is still too soon know how many a next round of layoffs could affect. “We are studying the current budget to determine if and how many layoffs will be needed,” City Manager Steve Duran, who has been since October, said in an email this week.

Duran has announced at several public meetings that the city has an estimated $1.5 million structural deficit. The city has talked raised taxes and liquidated assets in addition to staff reductions as a way of maintaining operations.

Hercules 2010-11 Comprehensive Annual Financial Review is , due to the high number of finance staff turnover in the last year and many requests from outside agencies looking at the city’s books, city Councilman William Wilkins said at the last open session City Council meeting.