LONDON, ONT. -- London city hall is further cutting staffing levels to address the budget shortfall caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier this week, 190 temporary seasonal staff, casual staff, and 31 contract students had their hiring deferred or were laid off.
In an internal email obtained by CTV News, city manager Lynne Livingstone explains that more staffing reductions will come next week, but did not offer specific details.
The decision is part of the belt tightening underway at city hall in light of lost revenues and mounting costs stemming from the pandemic.
In the email Livingstone explains, “Moving to only minimal operations, essential services and necessary projects has had an impact on our staffing needs.”
The affected municipal employees will be notified next week.
Back on April 6, city hall laid off and delayed the hiring of 1,100 seasonal and casual employees primarily in the Parks and Recreation Department.
Livingstone acknowledges this will be a stressful weekend of uncertainty for civic staffers.
“I know how difficult this news may be and am sorry we are in this position. I look forward to a time when we are all back working together.”
"We haven’t yet reached the point where we can provide certainty about what this may mean to individuals. We are working with union leadership to minimize the impact on our employees, and we are working as quickly as we can,” added Livingstone.
On Tuesday, city council members discussed the projected $23-33 million shortfall in London’s 2020 municipal budget.
