All city workers in Arkansas Delta town laid off
By The Associated Press
This article was published January 10, 2010 at 4:14 p.m.
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Residents wanting to conduct city business in the Jefferson County town of Altheimer will have to wait a while. Nobody is on the city payroll at the moment, Mayor Donald Robinson says.
Robinson said Saturday that a dispute with the Internal Revenue Service had resulted in the layoffs, which he said would be temporary.
“We hope to bring them back ... early next week,” the mayor said.
The layoffs include the police chief in the town of about 1,200 people, plus three part-time patrol officers, Robinson said.
But in interviews Saturday with the Pine Bluff Commercial Robinson didn’t say how many people had been laid off altogether. Asked to provide a total number, he said simply that “everybody was let go.”
The mayor said he had briefed the city’s aldermen during a called City Council meeting Wednesday evening and advised them of the coming layoffs.
Robinson acknowledged talks with the IRS were under way, but declined to discuss any specifics. He referred questions about the IRS to Gary Austin, the city’s attorney.
The Associated Press could not reach either Robinson or Austin on Sunday. There is no telephone listing for Austin in the Pine Bluff area, and a call to a number listed in Robinson’s name reached a recording saying the number was no longer in service.
Robinson said officers of the Jefferson County sheriff’s office would provide police protection for the town.
Jefferson County Sheriff Gerald Robinson said Saturday he had asked deputies to increase patrols in the Altheimer area “for more visibility.”
Comments on: All city workers in Arkansas Delta town laid off
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towerdog says... January 11, 2010 at 5:36 a.m.
Ya know - It always kills me when our white suburban friends go on mission trips to Africa and other points around the globe to do God's work. Heck, if they were really serious about that, the perfect opportunity is waiting at Altheimer. Wanna serve your fellow man? Apply for a teaching position at the Altheimer schools !!
This poor town is living manifestation of "Wal-Mart: Save money, live better"! Good luck Altheimer - you gave it all you had for a lot of years.
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manta says... January 11, 2010 at 11:11 p.m.
After hearing that ignorant ass mayor on TV, I understood some of the towns problems. Does the town have schools? Was the disease (Alzheimer) named after your town? You might want to consider the (Paris) theater fire to help with some of your problems.
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DeskWalker says... January 11, 2010 at 11:53 p.m.
Seems like this is the year to be walking the Dog of "I ain't got no money!" ,"Poor Us!". OH yea notice The Laid of the Police so no one can get arrested or investigated, at least not by Local Officals.
Budgets go only so far, this true, but who got what money you had, and How and Why?
The usual situation is as one door closes another door opens!
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