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Greg Shelton defends council’s staffing cost‑savings; council to meet in closed session on city attorney appointment
Summary
At a Porterville City Council meeting, resident Greg Shelton urged support for a staffing cost‑saving plan and blamed past mismanagement for about an $85 million shortfall. The council announced it would move into closed session to consider a city attorney appointment under Government Code section 54957; no reportable action was expected.
Greg Shelton, a member of the public who addressed the Porterville City Council during oral communications, defended the council’s staffing cost‑saving proposal and blamed roughly a decade of mismanagement for an estimated $85 million budget shortfall.
Shelton said the staffing item discussed the previous night was “just a cost‑saving measure,” not a finalized set of layoffs, and that the number of vacancies under consideration could range from zero to as many as 19. “My understanding is it’s just a cost‑saving measure. Nothing was in stone,” Shelton said, urging council members to recognize that the process allows adjustments after positions are named.
Why it matters: Council discussions about staffing and vacancies affect city services and jobs and follow an acknowledged budget gap the public and officials cited during the meeting. Public comments reflected both frustration over higher utility bills and support for the council’s effort to address the deficit.
Shelton also criticized what he described as efforts to “hijack” the narrative around the staffing decision, saying some attendees were stirred up by what he called “rabble‑rousers” and that roughly half of those present appeared to be reacting to that narrative rather than the substance of the proposal. He said residents were tired of rising water, sewer and electric bills and therefore more sympathetic to efforts to reduce costs.
During his remarks Shelton attributed the budget shortfall to past inattention: “we ended up, you know, with the $85 million hole,” he said, and added that he believed the council and staff were trying to address the problem, albeit with different approaches.
After public comment the City Manager announced that the council would move into closed session to consider a public‑employment appointment for the city attorney under Government Code section 54957. The manager told the council they did not anticipate any reportable action following the closed session.
The meeting opened with roll call and ceremonial remarks; oral communications were limited to three minutes per speaker unless the council authorized additional time. No votes or formal actions on staffing were recorded in the public session.
