Roanoke County laying off 287 part-time workers

Roanoke County announced Friday it will lay off 287 part-time employees, many of whom work in the parks and recreation department. The layoff will start April 24 and “is intended to be temporary, pending future economic conditions,” according to a news release.

The cuts affect 232 parks and recreation workers, 50 in public libraries and five from other departments. Most work in the Green Ridge Recreation Center, Brambleton Center and six libraries that have been closed since March 23 due to the coronavirus outbreak. The county employs 1,020 full-time and 665 part-time employees, according to a spokesperson.

Employees will be given the option to return to work for Roanoke County without having to reapply for their jobs.

“We simply don’t have the revenue stream to support regular staffing levels,” said County Administrator Dan O’Donnell in a statement. “With no estimate of when we’ll resume normal operations, regrettably, we had to make this difficult but necessary decision.”

Chesterfield County furloughed 500 workers April 4 due to the coronavirus-fueled financial crisis, and other public-sector employers, including the University of Virginia and Henrico County, have enacted hiring freezes in addition to other cost-saving measures.

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