The city of Decatur plans to temporarily lay off 20 part-time employees due to financial strains related to the coronavirus pandemic.
The furloughs go into effect May 23, the city said in a statement Tuesday. The affected government employees typically work year-round and part-time.
“We remain committed to continuing to provide high quality services to the community especially during this public health emergency. However, the financial impact of the COVID19 crisis requires that we must make some difficult decisions to control expenses,” Decatur City Manager Andrea Arnold said in a statement.
She said the decision was "not an easy one." Decatur City Hall closed to the public in mid-March and has since canceled all city programs and activities, including summer camps.
Local governments across the state are expected to suffer revenue losses because of the pandemic. That largely stems from a drop in sales taxes, business license fees and taxes, and hotel/motel taxes.
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