256 Huntsville city workers to be offered early-retirement buyout

By Steve Doyle

January 15, 2010, 7:17AM

Robin Conn / The Huntsville TimesDallas Fanning has worked for Huntsville's planning department since June 1972.

HUNTSVILLE, AL. -- Looking to trim payroll costs, the Huntsville City Council voted Thursday to offer buyouts to 256 veteran municipal employees.

And there's already a high-profile taker: Planning Director Dallas Fanning, one of the people most responsible for how the Rocket City has grown over the past 30 years, will retire at the end of the month.

Fanning's top assistant, Marie Bostick, has been named acting planning director by Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle.

"So much of what we have achieved as a city," Battle said, "is because of the vision Dallas Fanning showed us."

Fanning, a retired Army general, joined Huntsville's planning department as a planner in June 1972 and became the boss in 1980. His official title is director of urban development.

Among his many accomplishments: coordinating the creation of Cummings Research Park West; working with state officials to build or improve dozens of area roads, including Interstate 565; and helping devise Tax Increment Finance districts that lured Toyota's engine plant to town, renovated schools and prompted developers to build Parkway Place mall and the Target shopping center on University Drive.

The buyout offer, which passed unanimously, is open to all city employees with at least 25 years of government service -- about 10 percent of the total workforce.

Those who agree to retire early will be paid an incentive of $500 per year of employment and can cash in 60 percent of their accumulated sick leave. In the past, retiring city workers have walked away with 50 percent of their sick leave.

Finance Director Randy Taylor said workers who sign up for the buyout will receive $20,500, on average. If half of those eligible take the offer, the city would have to shell out about $2.6 million.

But Councilman Richard Showers, who proposed the buyout last fall, predicted the city will save money in the long run as jobs now held by veteran, high-dollar employees are left vacant or filled by younger workers at lower salaries.

"We're going to have to have a lot of people do two jobs," Battle said. "We're going to have to work leaner."