ÈËÊÞÐÔ½»

Johnston, who has worked at the county Department of Motor Vehicles since 2019, is one of the two DMV employees whose jobs would be cut if the 2025 budget proposal is approved. 

In June, Johnston's husband died of cancer. Now, she is raising the couple's two children while facing the loss of her job as a DMV cashier. 

"I don't know about you, but that is not sitting well with me," said Lytle, one of Johnston's co-workers at the DMV. "If there is a time when somebody needs their community to stand behind them, this is the time — not just for Erica, but for all of those (employees). They all have a similar story." 

Lytle was one of several county employees who spoke out against the proposed 2025 budget cuts. The tentative budget would eliminate 23 positions from 13 departments. Full- and part-time employees would be affected. 

The county Department of Social Services would lose five positions, including a senior caseworker and two part-time caseworkers, in the budget. 

Deborah Snow is one of the caseworkers who may lose their job. She is retired, but works part-time at the department.

"You may think part-time is part work, but it's not," she said. "I have the same caseload as the full-time people. The only difference is my cases are mostly (in Auburn)." 

Rebecca Allen, who is also employed as a caseworker in the Department of Social Services, detailed her working conditions while being a single mom struggling to pay her bills. She has 25 cases and drove more than 200 miles this week to provide assistance. 

If Snow's job is slashed, Allen said that would add five more cases to her workload. 

"This is not OK that you are laying these guys off," she added. "This is not OK that we are doing this." 

The budget would cut three positions from the county Highway Department and two each from the mental health clinic and planning department. Eight departments would lose one position, including a full-time detective in the sheriff's office and a full-time public health assistant in the health department. 

When Cayuga County Legislature Chairwoman Aileen McNabb-Coleman presented the proposed $192 million spending plan, she outlined several budget pressures. These included pay raises that are part of contracts ratified by the county Legislature in 2023. 

Peter Thomas, who is the DMV supervisor and serves as first vice president of the local Civil Service Employees Association representing county workers, chided McNabb-Coleman for saying the contractual pay raises contribute to the budget crunch.

"This is the thanks that we actually get — to dismiss current employees and to blame the remaining employees for having to cut these jobs because we dare, through hard-fought negotiations, expect to get a raise in our salaries to help offset the increased cost of living that continually rises," Thomas said. 

Earlier in his remarks, Thomas shared a quote from President Joe Biden. Over the years, Biden has said, "Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I'll tell you what you value." 

"Looking at this budget proposal, I can tell you you do not value the employees of this county," Thomas said. 

The county Legislature voted Tuesday to approve several amendments to the proposed budget, including one that would delay layoffs until April 1. Legislators are hopeful they can find alternatives to eliminating those positions so the employees can keep their jobs.