Onondaga County lawmakers are giving Executive Ryan McMahon the authority to lay off up to 250 workers.


What You Need To Know

  • Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon was granted layoff power in a nine to seven vote in the county legislature

  • 250 county employees could lose their jobs if federal funding or an increase in sales tax does not come through

  • The legislature chairman says McMahon may work with union representatives to furlough some employees instead

It was a nine to seven vote with one absent.    

“This was an incredibly hard decision,” said David Knapp, Onondaga County Legislature Chairman (R). “This is one of the tougher days I’ve had in my nine years here.”

Knapp says this gives the executive maximum flexibility to take action when necessary, which will help save jobs.

“News changes every day with this thing,” said Knapp. “So, just coming over with a static resolution that is a snapshot in time for 250 jobs or something, if the news gets better, we may just have to do a handful.”

However, Democratic Legislator Vernon Williams Jr., says the legislature should be included in the decision-making process.

“It could be 100 layoffs or 250 layoffs, we don’t know and we won’t have that say,” said Williams Jr. “I think this is the job of the legislators to do and I think we fumbled the ball and gave it up.”

The executive vice president of the CSEA Local 834 union, Tammy Honeywell, says the workers won’t be the only ones feeling the impact, but the community will too unless the cuts come from the top.

“Emergency management, the health department during a pandemic, adult protective, etc.,” said Honeywell. “How will our community survive cuts when they’re already working with a skeleton crew?”

Knapp says McMahon may work with the union representatives to furlough some employees instead.

He says layoffs are expected to happen quickly, but federal funding and high sales tax revenue would preserve some positions. Tammy Honeywell, says the workers won’t be the only ones feeling the impact, but the community will too unless the cuts come from the top.

“Emergency management, the health department during a pandemic, adult protective, etc.,” said Honeywell. “How will our community survive cuts when they’re already working with a skeleton crew?”

Knapp says McMahon may work with the union representatives to furlough some employees instead.

He says layoffs are expected to happen quickly, but federal funding and high sales tax revenue would preserve some positions.