Cuts will be flying all over Janesville and Rock County It's just a matter of time!!

You have not seen anything yet!!!

Well happycamper I say we raise your property taxes only then like 20%. then you can pay for the services and bloated workforce the city has

let's cut some more dept heads to

Read the Poll Question.....
"As Janesville looks to hire new department heads, should it also LOOK at downsizing the departments?"
It doesn't ask if we should downsize....only LOOK (or consider the possibility of..)
Of course we should consider downsizing.

Why not relegate the duties of the department heads to the employees under them. Pay them commensurately to the increased workload but you would no longer have to pay benefits. You save the city money but maintain services.

Want to save money? Downsize City Staff??? No I don't think that's needed, BUT I think you can "let go" of a Judge or two. I don't know how many of you have gone to the courthouse and looked at the Judge's Daily Sheets for cases scheduled, but when my parents were going through a divorce I was there several days and they are quite empty unless you are the unlucky person that does Traffic Court. It's also nice to know that the courts are "So Busy" that judges have enough time to wine shop at 10 O'clock A.M. on a Wednesday. I know, I was the one that sold him the wine. I'm sure more people would like one of these jobs. Just something to remember when hear a Judge say "His calendar is filled up until..."

You can downsize at City hall. All the department heads have an assistant to an assistant. And if you take away anymore laborers good luck Trash Recycle snow plowing. Hey Todds Grounds keeping maybe you could take away another Union brothers job by starting a trash removal service. Thanks Mr GM and UAW brother.

This doesn't make sense. The city wants to hire new department heads but downsize the departments? Why not just fire everyone and start over?

Yes! They should also look at cutting pay and benifits. I lost my job and the economy is in a downword spiral. Lets quit giving pay raises and better benifits when we dont have the money. Like in my house if we want something but dont have the money than we dont get it. Same should be said when it comes to the government and their workers.

There is no evidence as yet that the city's population is in decline.
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Any staff cuts directly translate to service cuts. If anyone here is proposing staff cuts, they should at least be straightforward enough to list the services that they foresee being cut as well.

It should ALWAYS look to downsize. Why only when you hire a new department head? You always look for opportunities to downsize.

Just because people are moving doesn't mean the buildings they live in aren't still there. It's not PEOPLE who start on fire (unless they're idiots or spontaneously combust), it's buildings. I wouldn't want fire departments downsized.

At a time when a lot of taxpayers have been laid off and are moving out of Janesville, it is imperative that The city of Janesville trim its many departments. Despite what some may say, there is always room to downsize and economize. ALWAYS !....We have to do it in our own households, why does anyone think the city can or should be be exempted?

I think the city is pretty lean right now, I dont see how they could downsize.

how can you downsize bare minimum?? great that the city is looking to hire new department heads... downsize what little is left, what does that leave for city services?? yes, there are those that gripe (I have a few times myself) about how "efficient" services are, yet, what's there to be proud of?? numerous streets that aren't plowed but twice a winter?? roads that never get salted after freezing rain turns our community into an outdoor ice arena?? how the last 2 weeks for garbage pick up, there was none due to the holidays, yet, the city made a point of picking up the recycling?? I know that an increase in services would mean more taxes... heaven help us for having to pay a small percentage more so that the departments that are lacking are able to become appropriately staffed...

The City cannot cut employees with out cutting services. Each week the cowards column is full of complaints about city services. Schiefer has cut the staff(or people who actually do work)to the bare bone,as he was always proud of and bragged about to the city council.
I feel a smaller staff is a step in the wrong direction.