03/10/2009: "CD&PD Lays Off Permit Coordinators"

San Juan County Community & Development Permit Coordinators Allen Shayo and Chris Laws were given ten days notice on Monday they would lose their jobs due to a lack of funding.

That will leave only one permit coordinator to review incoming land use permits and do site inspections for pre-permit applications. The permit coordinators are the first gate applicants must pass through to have their permits processed; and the layoffs mean things may once again start moving backwards at CD&P.

CD&P Director Ron Henrickson had warned the County Council that if permit fee revenues were to drop in 2009, some positions may no longer be funded.

Shayo stated he "had never been warned." Shayo said he received the same news last year as everyone else that times were tough, but nothing specific as to him was ever communicated. Shayo stated that he was "absolutely floored to receive this news which came out of nowhere."

In a recent report to the County Council, Henrickson said San Juan County was the only county in the state that was maintaining a status quo in issuing building permits, but he was fearful the flow might slow down if the economic problems continued.

There have been no public statements since then to the county council that contradict Henrickson’s own recent comments that all is well with his budget.

Now that Henrickson has taken action to cut staff, the question of how, by the beginning of the third month of the year, a trend could have been identified that predicts a lack of permit revenue for the next ten months, is a question that is bound to come up with the County Council.

While both Laws and Shayo were reportedly stung by the news on Monday morning when Hendrickson gave them notice, the sting was particularly sharp for Mr. Laws, as he was recently hired in 2008 for the position, and the County even paid his transportation costs to move him and his family to San Juan County.

In November of last year when the County Council was required to pass a balanced budget, they finally had to face up to the fact they had been spending more money then they had, and at that time Laws told the council that “I was stunned” when he “saw Auditor reports after auditor report pleading with the council to rein in their spending.”

In 2008 Auditor Milene Henley and Administrator Pete Rose had warned the Council that more cuts could be required in the 2009 budget if sales tax revenue declined.

The 2009 budget as adopted included a cash reserve of $1.27 million; which was approximately $230,000 less than Auditor Henley had said was the minimum desirable level necessary to pay unexpected and year end bills.

Shayo has been with the Department for two years, while Laws was offered the job in 2008 when he was flow from Arizona and put up in a hotel at County expense, and told “I would be paid $2.000.00 in moving expenses if I would take the job.”

Laws said that once he saw the reports he could “not understand how the county could fly him up, and pay to move his family here, knowing they were passing budgets that were unsustainable.”

Laws had said that he and his wife were “excited by the level of enthusiasm that was shown toward me and my wife,” but last year during the 2009 budget discussions said “you can only imagine my shock” when he was informed his job position was slated to be cut to balance the [‘09’] budget.”

But money was found in the nick of time to keep Laws and Shayo; in part because one of the Department Assistant positions was left vacant.