Left In Lowell

New Bedford Standard-Times

[New Bedford] Mayor [Scott W.] Lang put the number of police, firefighters and other city employees who stand to be laid off at roughly 200, but he did not say how that number would be spread across departments….Layoffs will begin this week.

Worcester Telegram

City Manager Michael V. O’Brien says there could be “hundreds” of municipal employee layoffs in the coming months because the budget shortfall the city is facing may be insurmountable.

Lowell Sun

In other business, [City Manager Bernie} Lynch said he has been meeting with the city’s unions to discuss a plan to bridge the remaining $561,994 budget gap for fiscal year 2009 created by Gov. Deval Patrick’s midyear cuts to local aid…So far, I have been very pleased. The bargaining units understand the problems we are facing,” Lynch said, adding that he expects to have a full report for the council within the next three weeks…We are likely to avoid layoffs in this fiscal year, but it is likely that there will be job reductions in 2010,’ he said.

Do you think that it was luck that Lowell will not need to layoff anyone in FY 2009 and that we will, through successful discussions with City employees, figure out a way to close the FY 09 budget gap ($561,994) or was through the proper planning by the City Administration (CM and CFO, especially) in May/June 2008. I am going with the latter.