KMOX's previous reporting:
Coronavirus is hitting Chesterfield hard. Facing an up to $10 million loss in sales tax revenue, which makes up more than half of its budget, the city has furloughed 26 percent of its workforce.
"It's across the board," says City Manager Mike Geisel. "There's public works, parks, planning police, information technology. No one's safe."
That includes 15 police officers and four civilians in the department. However, the Fraternal Order of Police is offering to have all 99 officers and the staff take ten percent, across-the-board paycuts in lieu of the furloughs. "This is a program or alternative, that they brought to me and said they were willing to share the pain here in order to preserve some of their other brethren."
Geisel says the two sides are working out the details. "The savings are roughly equivalent. We're evaluating that. We're now working with the Fraternal Order of Police to determine whether or not that's acceptable to both parties. If it is, we'll implement that on Monday. If it's not, then we'll have to proceed with the furloughs"
The other furloughs went into effect last Thursday. Geisel says there's no way to know when the city will be able to recall the furloughed employees.