Anaheim : Council Studies Cutting 53 Managerial Posts

In an effort to improve communication and save money, the City Council is considering plans to eliminate 53 managerial positions within the next five years.

Most of the positions would be eliminated through attrition, City Manager William O. Talley said.

No city employee would be fired, Talley said. Those with jobs targeted in the reorganization plan who do not plan to retire in the next five years would be retrained and reassigned.

The personnel streamlining would save an estimated $8.2 million by the 1990, according to a plan presented to the council last Tuesday. The plan for a 15% reduction in management personnel is scheduled for council approval June 24.

Last January, when Talley directed department heads to review their staffs and determine where they could trim management by 15%, “I was not greeted with a burst of applause,” he said.

But the changes are necessary to save money and improve communications by eliminating layers of bureaucracy, he said. “We have a professional staff and they cooperated in an exemplary manner,” Talley added.

Among the positions to be cut would be a battalion chief and a division chief in the Fire Department and three positions, including a sergeant, in the Police Department.

The plan also calls for the promotion or upgrading of several positions and the consolidation of others.

The plan to reduce management reflects a trend in businesses, both public and private, to streamline their organizational structure, Talley said.