Shawn Day
The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
Facing state budget cuts, Circuit Court Clerk Tina Sinnen has laid off 11 employees, almost 20 percent of her staff.
The dismissals, which happened Thursday and a week after the Norfolk Circuit Court clerk cut seven workers, will lead to longer waits for the processing of court documents. The move could also increase the likelihood of mistakes, Sinnen said.
"They'll be rushed and overloaded, and mistakes will happen," she said, citing clerical mistakes that led to the accidental releases of suspects in Norfolk this summer.
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's plan to address a $1.35 billion shortfall included a 15 percent cut to circuit court clerks' offices.
Most circuit court workers' salaries are paid by the state.
The layoffs were felt immediately, with a line of 10 or more people waiting at times Friday at the court's front counter. A single clerk, instead of the previous two, worked the counter.
Besides the layoffs, Sinnen said her 47 remaining workers will have to take one or one and a half furlough days by June 30, the end of the fiscal year.
Last year, about 11,800 criminal cases were initiated in the Beach Circuit Court, the highest case load in the state.
In addition to handling criminal cases, circuit court staffers accept payments for fines, handle civil cases such as divorces, process marriage licenses and record land records.
In Chesapeake, Circuit Court Clerk Faye Mitchell said she's meeting with city officials to see if she can get money to avoid laying off six employees.
Portsmouth Circuit Court Clerk Cynthia Morrison said she's waiting to hear back from city officials before laying off four workers.
Chesapeake's state funding budget shortfall is $184,000 and Portsmouth's is $100,000.
The Beach layoffs and furloughs are designed to make up for a $260,000 shortfall in state funding.
The laid-off workers will be paid through Oct. 15, using about $20,000 of the $75,000 the City Council made available to some constitutional offices on Tuesday.
Sinnen said she can't understand why the state and city cut funding for circuit courts since they make money.
"We're a revenue producer for the state and city and we continually suffer," she said.
Aaron Applegate, (757) 222-5122, aaron.applegate@pilotonline.com
Shawn Day, (757) 222-5131, shawn.day@pilotonline.com
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Just wondering...
Wasn't the stimulus bill supposed to prevent these kinds of layoffs? That is what congress (both parties), George Bush and Obama all said...I'm just saying...LOL
Anyone else feeling duped?
ANOTHER TANGLED WEB FOR NORFOLK
Norfolk Assistant City Manager Stanley A. Stein said the city is expecting to absorb some of the state cuts and Council plans to address this issue during their infamous retreat at the end of the month. This seems to suggest that the Vice Mayor, while on leave as an Asst. City Treasurer, will decide the fate of some of his fellow co-workers in the Treasurer’s office. Since Mr. Burfoot wants us to believe his salary as “pending” Treasurer is completely state funded because he refused the city supplement, then he should be the first to go. Enjoy the retreat, it will probably cost a small fortune.
tak away internet access.....
for the remaining employees and see if their productivity doesn't go up by at least the 15% resulting from the manpower reduction.
Take Away Internet Access?
Williamb36774:
Dumb idea. First of all, Northrum Grumman already has the state Internet slowed down to less than dial up speeds half the time. Second, email sites and social sites are blocked. Third, department heads get a list of every web site every employee has gone into. Fourth, even legitimate sites employees need are often blocked. Fifth, how do you surf the net when you are dealing with the public every minute of every day, including lunch breaks? (Often dealing with the same personality types who often post on this site).
Suggestions
Volunteer Citizen Advisory Groups - open the doors to state offices to them, let them talk to the middle people and the little people; trust me, the employees would WELCOME this! Raise the gas tax and restore tolls to the same value levels back in the 1960s (this would not hurt retail employees who tend to work near home, and would minimally impact compact car drivers). Restore the car tax, a horribly regressive tax that benefits rich people with multiple expensive cars to the tune of $1000 per car per year.
895000 writes "Restore the
895000 writes "Restore the car tax, a horribly regressive tax that benefits rich people with multiple expensive cars to the tune of $1000 per car per year."
You're completely out of your tree sir. So the people who produce are the ones who should be penalized? Unbelievable! Why stop there? Why not just take their expensive cars and SUV's away from them and replace them with Yugo's? If driving a Yugo is good enough for the rest of us, then it is good enough for the Mayor, city council, Jim Spore, and The Clerk of The Court. The car tax is a horribly regressive tax period. It should have been done away with completely and I applaud Jim Gilmore for his effort to rid us of it. It makes just as much sense as taxing your sofa simply because you own it.
The Wall Street and Housing Market meltdowns
are not done having an effect on the economy: nationally and in Virginia. Less income tax paid, less sales tax, etc continues to have an impact. I guess it is easier to blame Kaine when the blame falls on George Bush and his administration.
Thank a State Employee
To makes the Tax Revolt crowd happy the state has turned manned shifts into on call shifts. Employees must give up their off duty hours (evenings, weekends, holidays) to be on call and they commute back and forth to work without mileage or standby pay, nor are the paid for the extra time commuting and when they are not actually working they are on House Arrest. They have not had a raise in three years and they end up work overtime (unofficially off the clock, of course) to work uncompensated OT to make up for staff vacancies. Complain all you want but I-264, both Portsmouth tunnels and two bridge tunnels are now free, as well as the reduced value of a 20+ year old gas tax, and the Car Tax is subsidized on the backs of state employees.
You're right
Of course, we should immediately raise taxes on those items and many others. Or come up with some new and creative taxes that sound good on paper.
We taxpayers have it too good.
It's easier to raise taxes or lay off state employees than to remove the massive amount of waste in the state budget, or reduce funding for ineffective entitlement programs that breed welfare generations.
NOT EXACTLY
While I sympathize with you about the plight of state employees, some of your statements are not correct. It was the tolls that payed for the two Portsmouth tunnels and the I44 (I264) roadways. If fact the I44 highway was paid for years before the tolls were removed. Although it is a reduced tax, people still have to pay property tax on cars. And why would you be in favor of increasing the gas tax when it would consequently hurt both businesses and consumers?
As well, I don't think that the problem lies with tax protesters, it's more along the lines of wasteful government spending. Take for instance, the recent fiasco with Northrop Grumman/VITA.
Finally, state employees are not the only ones hurting -- this economy is affecting everyone in some way -- government or private sector.