WHITING | The City Council has established a voluntary workforce reduction program that offers a severance package to full-time city employees with at least one year of service.
Councilman Chris Sarvanidis introduced the ordinance that established the program.
He said the city believes it can decrease its workforce without experiencing a cut in services provided.
"We're not in a budget crisis or anything like that," Sarvanidis said. "It's just an opportunity for us to offer what we feel is an attractive program for people that want to go ahead and retire, and in turn, we would reduce our costs."
Sarvanidis said the program is an example of the city being proactive and that it might help the city avoid or better manage tougher financial situations that might appear down the road.
Mayor Joe Stahura said the city has offered a similar program "on and off over the last seven or eight years."
"It's just a good way to kind of rebalance the organizational chart," Stahura said.
Employees who take part in the program will receive $1,000 for every year of full-time service with the city.
The mayor has the ability to cancel the program or limit the number of employees who participate should the need arise.
Interested employees must submit a completed enrollment form to the clerk-treasurer's office no later than Dec. 18.