Fifteen Civic Center employees will lose their jobs under a $437 million Marin County budget for fiscal 2010-11 that officials are expected to adopt next week. The layoffs follow budget parleys this year in which supervisors bridged a $20 million budget gap, tentatively imposing cuts proposed by the administration that axed 90 positions, many of them vacant, from the payroll.

To ease the pain, the county board spent $800,000 on a "voluntary separation incentive" program, offering employees up to $25,000 to depart, and about 40 signed up for the program.

The lineup of those getting pink slips was cut in half and fine-tuned as some workers were shifted to vacant posts, others considered cashing in on the bonus money and several fought political and administrative battles to save their jobs.

In the end, an unlucky 12 working for county departments, and another three in the county's Open Space District, will lose their jobs if county supervisors adopt the fiscal program as expected when budget hearings are held Monday and Wednesday.

Among those scheduled to get the boot is mediation chief Barbara Kob, head of a popular program that has helped thousands of low-income clients settle landlord and other disputes and diverted potential litigants from costly court battles. Although the mediation program drew support from scores of residents who dispatched letters and e-mails and

"I'm not rallying the troops for Monday's hearing because no one is listening," Kob said, saying officials have turned a deaf ear to widespread pleas to save the mediation program.

Another employee going out the door is Sherry Sweet, an Open Space District secretary who serves as a county pension board trustee.

Both Kob and Sweet fought to save their jobs and were among four workers who appealed for administrative review of their layoffs, claiming decisions were retaliatory and not based on organizational or economic reasons. A county hearing officer found nothing amiss.

"We're making decisions based on programatic reasons, nothing else," said County Administrator Matthew Hymel, adding the aim is to "live within our means" by restructuring county government in a way that preserves core services. Some of Kob's mediation program can be handled by the district attorney's consumer protection division, Hymel said, and in the case of Sweet, officials made the tough but clear choice "of getting rid of administrative staff in favor of open space rangers in the field."

Others in the rank-and-file unemployment line include a mediation case worker, dental hygienist, office assistant, social service worker, legal process specialist, two accounting assistants, two secretaries and two nurses.

Vacant or soon-to-be vacant upper management posts due for elimination in the final cut next week include chief deputy county counsel, chief deputy district attorney and chief deputy public defender. Previously, an assistant fire chief vacancy and a doctor's post were cut from the payroll.

As it stands, the $437 million "all fund" county budget is down about $2.7 million from last year's program, while the $369.9 million general fund is down 2.5 percent from last year's $379.5 million. Road repair and related spending will remain flat at about $10.7 million, while funds supporting both child support services and environmental health services were cut 4.3 percent.

Hymel noted that more cuts will come when the state budget picture clears up, adding that $25 million more could be whacked from Marin's plan depending on what happens in Sacramento.

Despite cutting 90 posts overall from the county payroll, and the decline in the overall budget, spending in some departments is up, primarily because of escalating pension and retiree costs. In the sheriff's department, for example, the budget is $52.9 million, up from last year's $50.3 million, even though eight jobs have been dropped, bringing the staff there to 310.

The county, facing an unfunded pension liability exceeding $700 million, will provide $58.4 million in the budget to cover retiree costs, $11 million more than last year. The payment includes $3 million going to a reserve fund aimed at covering unfunded pension liability, a fund that will now total $17 million.

Other county reserves are more vibrant. There is $97 million tucked away for various contingencies, including $30 million earmarked for a new public safety building.

Budget hearings

County budget hearings begin at 9:30 a.m. Monday at the Marin Civic Center with review of the open space program. Hearings on county departments begin at 10 a.m. with time for public commentary, followed by a discussion of public safety spending.

At 1:30 p.m. Monday, supervisors will review budgets for health services, planning and public works, administration and finances. The hearings continue at 1 p.m. Wednesday with review of capital improvements, special districts, and adoption of the overall budget.

Contact Nels Johnson at ij.civiccenter@gmail.com