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| Mayor Garza Fights For IDES Presence |
The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced just last week they were planning to close seven offices around the State.
The Galesburg offices were on the chopping block after the IDES said the prioritized offices by the amount of services provided and certain lease considerations.
Now, Galesburg Mayor Sal Garza is has been in communication with the IDES in the hopes of slowing the closure past it's predicted mid-March closure date.
Garza tells WGIL the impact on services the offices provide need to be more intense, not less.
"The concern is the shortened time table of less than 60-days to do a complete closure of the IDES office here versus a more systematic and smoother transition toward a reduced presence of the IDES structure," says Garza.
The new time-frame has yet to be determined, but will reportedly be driven by a competitive proposal that will be submitted to IDES Director Jay Rowell.
IDES has already consolidated several offices around the state in an effort to save money.
Garza plans to assemble local partners in slowing down the closure, including: the Workforce Office of West Central Illinois and possibly the City of Galesburg.
He tells WGIL that without the option of the IDES offices available, it may reflect poorly on Galesburg and the County's employment prospects.
"The poverty level is of great concern and we will be having an initiative that speaks to the employment side," says Garza. "My hope is that we will be able to announce an initiative at the end of next week."
IDES in making the closures, would also eliminate 192 employees.
Garza said he also plans to reach out to state and federal representatives so that, in his words, people don't fall through the cracks. |
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| 01 17 13 by Newsroom |
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