Building Department Lays Off 10 People

BROOKSVILLE - County Building Director Grant Tolbert, citing the downturn in the construction industry, announced Monday the layoff of 10 employees in his department.

The layoffs are in addition to staff reductions that occurred in July and September of 2007.

Through attrition and layoffs, the total number of employees in that department has now gone from 86 during the peak of the construction boom in 2006 to the present 47.

Community Relations Coordinator Brenda Frazier said the human resources department will work with the 10 employees and find them work either with the county or in the private sector.

Tolbert said the layoffs will save his department about $450,000 a year in salary and benefits. It will be another 60 to 90 days to figure out related savings in trucks and computers taken off inventory.

Tolbert said the employees were told Monday. Some took the news better than others, he said.

Of the 10, two were commercial office staff, four were residential and commercial inspectors and the rest were residential plans examiners. Tolbert said he took into consideration employees' seniority, work experience and skills in cross-training.

Laying people off is never easy, even with this third round of reductions, Tolbert said. But with fewer permits and less money coming in, the decision could not be put off.

"You just don't keep people employed if you don't have enough to keep them busy," Tolbert said.

Tolbert said he couldn't predict what the future holds for the 47 remaining staffers.

"No further layoffs are expected at this time," he said. "Next month, two months from now, three months from now, I don't know. It depends on what the construction industry does."

In November, Hernando County recorded only 29 single-family home permits, tying a 12-year low.

Hernando County issued 2,694 single-family home permits from January to November 2006. For that same period in 2007, the building department issued just 776 permits, a 71 percent decrease.

December's numbers were not much better with only about 31 permits filed.

"Absolutely scary" is how Tolbert described the market.

Even the commercial sector, which had been keeping the department propped up during the residential downturn, has begun to slow, Tolbert said.

Tolbert said Monday it could be as late as 2009 or 2010 until the residential construction market heats up again.

Interim County Administrator Larry Jennings said the layoffs were tied to the downturn in the building industry and reduction in work loads for employees in that department.

"The development department's an enterprise fund, so they have to balance their revenue against their expenditures and bring those into balance," Jennings said.

Jennings also said it was a tough but necessary decision.

"Any business hates going through that, but it's a fact of life, particularly with that operation," he said.