State shutdown forces local offices to close: Many Warren County workers are sitting at home
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The reaction has been universally negative as local workers have expressed dismay and confusion over the General Assembly’s inability to overcome its stalemate and fund next year’s budget.
“I think it’s a disgrace to the people. It could have been prevented,” said Betty Scott, a supervisor at the Driver’s License Testing Center. “They can’t do in two days what they ought to have done six months ago. They’re adults and they should be able to come to an agreement.”
Tennessee State Naturalist Mack Prichard had agreed to give a presentation at Magness Library’s Summer Reading Program. Prichard’s department was one of the non-essential services the state chose to shut down. Even so, Prichard showed up, driving his own car and on his own time, to make the presentation.
At the Driver’s License Center, Scott and employee Darrell Gribble were two of three personnel furloughed from the local office. A fourth temporary worker was laid off Friday, they said.
Even though their pocketbooks haven’t been affected yet because they had earned vacation time, they pointed to end-of-month and end-of-fiscal-year reports that didn’t get completed in an office that serves 125 people per day. Scott, a 19-year employee, said she has never experienced anything like this.
The Senate and House met in weekend sessions to approve a bill to give Gov. Don Sundquist power to fund essential services through Friday as they work to come up with a viable budget.
Meanwhile, some state employees have responded with a sense of personal responsibility and self-sacrifice that transcends the situation.
And according to Director Nick Gawel of the Tennessee State University Nursery Research Station, 10 scientists are taking vacation leave and spending it working to keep vital research projects going. They are projects that would be useless if neglected, even for short periods.
“We have some very, very dedicated scientists here and I’m very proud of them,” said Gawel. “Things aren’t moving down in Nashville, but they are here. The research needs to continue. The plants don’t care the state has no money. They still have to be watered.”
In other offices, voluntary work was not possible.
District Attorney General Dale Potter said the office is down from six employees to one administrator and asked for callers to be patient. He said there have been “quite a few” messages left on the answering machine there, which were too many for one person to handle.
“We can only work the ones the state will allow,” Potter said. “Very little can get done on child support until the state passes a budget and allows the workers to return.”
Many state offices could not be reached for comment, but some did respond to calls even though partially shut down. Other state workers were reached at their homes.
The Warren County Health Department’s nurse supervisor Gerane Todd was one of four employees still working this week – with only essential services being covered. Todd reported she was the only nurse working, along with one office assistant, an interpreter and county Director of Health Glenda Holland.
Todd said two employees were on vacation, but something in the neighborhood of 15 people have been laid off due to the shutdown.
“We wish that it hadn’t happened,” Todd said, “It’s going to put us behind on vaccinations and other client services. We Average 80 to 100 appointments a day and four days off will get us behind on our schedules.”
Dr. Abraham Pallas of the Tennessee Technology Center reported they did not have classes scheduled this week and their staff had taken planned leave days this week, so they don’t really have anyone laid off due to the budget.
“We were just fortunate we didn’t have classes scheduled,” said Pallas. “Other vocational schools had to postpone classes. However, if we do not have a budget resolution by Monday, I anticipate we will not be starting classes.”
Officials of the Labor and Workforce Department who oversee local Tennessee Career Centers reported that four of seven employees have been laid off in the Warren County office. The three employees still working are providing limited services, presently only handling unemployment insurance claims.
Karen Hale of the Department of Human Services reports that it’s hard to say how many the shutdown has affected. In vocational rehabilitation five have been laid off – two full-time and three contract employees.
“It has a ripple effect,” Hale said. “Many of the contract services are affected too. It goes on out.”
Ron Martin, director of the adult education program, said all of the state contracts there were canceled until a new budget is passed. He said 17 have been furloughed from the program, including furlough for classes taught there by Families First. The office is closed.
According to Department of Agriculture officer Tom Womack, three forestry fire control employees are currently laid off in Warren County, as well as three nursery plant certification inspectors.
“We’re operating with a six-district skeleton crew for fire control,” said Womack. “Responsibility for wildfires will revert to local fire departments. Only in the event that locals could not handle it could we be called in through the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.”
Many of the other services offered statewide by the Agriculture Department are also being shut down, including many inspection services done by state employees at the local level.
Department of Children’s Services public information officer Carla Aaron said six of 30 DCS workers had been furloughed locally.
“All of those employees have responsibilities with our juvenile justice kids,” Aaron said, describing those children may be on court-ordered probation or participating in aftercare and noting there may be more adjustments in store.
“We’ll be reassessing the situation on Friday to determine if they will or if we need to make some decisions about who will continue to be a non-essential employee,” she added.