MOUNT VERNON – The Mount
Vernon Urban Renewal Agency has furloughed its 10 employees because of
a lack of federal funding for the positions.
Mayor Richard Thomas said it was “deeply unfortunate that we have
no alternative but to furlough these men and women, many of them who have
worked for the agency for decades.”
He said should federal funds become available in the near future, the
city would make “every attempt to rehire” the workers.
Thomas said addressing “the financial challenges that past mismanagement
and misdeeds have brought to the Mount Vernon Urban Renewal Agency is
critical.”
The mayor said he brought the cash shortfall issue to the city Board of
Estimate in mid-August seeking funding to retain the jobs, but officials
involved “refused to even consider this job-saving measure.”
Thomas said back in July, the FBI appointed a special counsel to investigate
the records and operations of the URA dating back as far as 2006. The
staffing layoffs “will not impact the investigation,” the
mayor said.
