Mayor Mitch Landrieu proposes furloughs for all city employees
by Michelle Krupa - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu on Friday proposed that all city workers, including public safety employees, take 11 unpaid furlough days by year's end to help the city shore up a projected $67 million deficit in the 2010 budget. The furlough option, which must be approved by the Civil Service Commission, would shave about $6.7 million from the shortfall, Chief Administrative Officer Andy Kopplin said during a 2 p.m. news conference at City Hall. To further cover the gap, Landrieu said he will take a 10 percent cut in his $140,000 salary, as will his top political appointees. "I would expect that any other elected official that is part of the general fund would make the same sacrifice," Landrieu added. Other cost-cutting measures include or eliminating renegotiating third-party contracts, carefully monitoring overtime and encouraging some of the city's 17,000 retirees to take advantage of certain federal health benefits now covered by their city-financed coverage.