Facing pressure, South Florida city backs away from plan to furlough all employees

After the city of Miramar in Broward County announced a week ago that it would furlough all of its approximately 1,000 full-time employees eight hours per week, the backlash was swift. A petition on Change.org created Sunday, titled “No! to Miramar Furlough,” had amassed over 6,800 signatures as of Tuesday evening.

Now, with residents planning to protest the move at Wednesday’s commission meeting, Miramar City Manager Vernon Hargray has backed off of the plan. On Tuesday, Hargray issued a one-sentence memo saying he was “exploring alternatives outside of implementing furloughs” after discussions with staff, union representatives, elected officials and the public.

“There will be further discussion on this item tomorrow night at the City Commission meeting,” Shaun Gayle, an assistant city manager and city spokesperson, told the Miami Herald, declining to comment further.

The furloughs were initially set to begin June 11 and last until Dec. 9, according to a memo to employees, but the city clarified in a press release last week that they would actually last only until the end of the fiscal year in September.

Hargray said the decision would save $3.8 million, one of several belt-tightening moves he made to address a projected $23 million shortfall amid an economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The furloughs, Hargray argued, were a better option than layoffs.

But some residents have rejected that argument. In particular, they have raised concerns that the city’s police force would be included in the furloughs.

“The citizens of Miramar DO NOT support this action because they know it will compromise their safety by reducing the presence of First Responders by at least 20%,” reads the Change.org petition, referring to the 20% reduction in pay that would result from a one-day-per-week furlough.

The petition adds that residents “support the employees of Miramar and do not want to have ANY of their services reduced because employees are not allowed to work.”

Wednesday’s commission agenda includes a resolution, sponsored by Hargray, to formally ratify his implementation of furloughs, even though the furloughs were initially announced without commission approval.

On Monday, Miramar City Commissioner Yvette Colbourne sponsored a competing resolution opposing the furloughs, suggesting that a series of measures Hargray announced April 24, including a hiring freeze and a 15% reduction in spending, were sufficient to carry the city through the fiscal year.

The commission will meet Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Miami Herald staff writer Bianca Padro Ocasio contributed reporting.