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Seat Pleasant employees feel pain of budget impact from coronavirus
FOX 5 has learned the City of Seat Pleasant has furloughed or cut hours for nearly a fourth of its workforce.
SEAT PLEASANT, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - The small city of Seat Pleasant has furloughed nearly one-fourth of its staff due to the impact of the pandemic on its revenue, according to the acting chief executive of the city.
Seat Pleasant has about 60 staffers in various departments and acting chief operating officer Devan Martin tells FOX 5 of those workers 12 are furloughed and four have had full-time hours cut. The cuts did not impact the police or public works departments.
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"So everybody has basically been given kind of the same timeline which is hopefully by October that we'll be able to come back full time," said a worker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity over concerns about retaliation.
In a recent letter to the city council, the impacted workers argue the cuts may not have come as soon if the city had been better managed.
"It's sad because it's something that did not need to happen," the worker said.
Seat Pleasant is in the midst of a sexual harassment scandal after a former employee accused Mayor Eugene Grant of harassing and threatening to fire him if he did not accept Grant's alleged advances.
FOX 5 has not been able to reach Grant for comment. He is on leave while the city investigates the claims.