Madison mayor starts city hiring freeze
11:13 PM 4/17/03
Dean Mosiman City government reporter

As promised, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz on Thursday began a hiring freeze to cope with likely state budget cuts.

Cieslewicz will review all new hiring requests and weigh the impact of leaving positions open, with extra care for health and public safety jobs.

The freeze also covers job reclassifications.

"Looming state budget cuts require that we take action now to minimize cuts to city services in the future," Cieslewicz said. "I'll be looking for savings in areas now where citizens feel the least impact. It will minimize cuts we'll need to make down the road."

Former Mayor Sue Bauman instituted a similar freeze in tough times during her term.

Now, Gov. Jim Doyle is proposing to cut aid payments to Madison by about $3.7 million in 2004.

In his campaign, Cieslewicz proposed a hiring freeze, a 5 percent cut in the mayor's salary and office budget, which have already been approved, and other moves. The freeze and keeping positions open longer could save $2.7 million, he estimated.

City Council President Mike Verveer said, "I am generally supportive of the concept of a hiring freeze. Obviously, we want to brace ourselves for rough times and start saving money now."

But the council should help define what are necessary positions, Verveer said, noting the Police Department has a backlog of 200 reports to be typed for lack of clerical staff.

The city, which has about 3,000 employees, currently has department requests to fill at least 90 vacant positions, personnel services manager Lorie Olsen said.

The open jobs run the gamut of city services, including many Madison Metro bus driver and mechanic positions, she said.

In addition to considering impacts on health and safety, Cieslewicz said he will be more likely to fill jobs that generate money, are funded by non-taxpayer dollars, or minimize the need for overtime.

"We will be working hard to get Madison our fair share from state government, but potential cuts in aid are likely to cause some pain," he said.