State & Local Government Policy, Business and Technology

A Relic of the Recession: Fewer Local Government Workers

Governing: For years, Queen Creek, Ariz., was booming with a steady influx of families moving to the community outside Phoenix. That all came to a halt in 2006 when town officials started noticing a dramatic drop-off in housing construction.

The eventual nationwide housing market collapse resulted in round after round of mid-year budget reductions, followed by years of cuts to the city's workforce. The town consolidated or eliminated multiple departments. An entire police beat was cut. And the public employees who were left saw their hours or pay reduced as revenues continued to decline.

“For Queen Creek, the recession was six very-long years,” said John Kross, the town manager.

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