Mount Pearl lays off 5 employees in department shuffle

A decision to restructure city departments is to blame for the dismissal of five longtime staff members, Mount Pearl's mayor said.

Layoff notices were given to five management staff in the city's Community Service and Planning and Development departments, Dave Aker confirmed to CBC Thursday.

Aker said the layoffs came as a surprise to those employees, some of whom had been with the city for up to 15 years.

The two affected departments will be combined to form the Department of Community Development.

"This restructuring is not driven by any budget considerations, it's driven by the desire to be efficient and the desire to provide good customer service to our residents and businesses," he said.

Layoffs supported by council

The layoffs themselves were supported by city council and city manager Steve Kent, Aker said.

The new department will now handle planning, permit enforcement and recreation.

Aker couldn't say how much the city would save in the move, but that some of the work done by the laid-off employees will be backfilled by different workers.