Elected Leader Plans Day Off Without Pay

It didn’t take long for some of Houston’s elected officials to decide they would share the pain of  furloughs with thousand of  city employees.

Council Member Oliver Pennington has decided to take the day off without pay on Friday, December 10.

For now, Mayor Annise Parker has decided to implement a voluntary furlough plan, however, city council passed an ordinance on Wednesday giving her the power to enact mandatory furloughs.

The mayor says she will make a decision by the end of December.

Here’s the annoucement from Pennington’s office:

Council Member Oliver Pennington Does His Part to Save Taxpayer Dollars

 Due to the City’s challenging fiscal environment, the City has implemented a voluntary furlough program, and today passed an ordinance giving Mayor Parker authority to implement a mandatory furlough program for non-classified municipal employees.  Houston City Council Member Oliver Pennington (District G) has decided to work a day without pay this Friday, December 10.  Council Member Pennington’s office will remain open and continue to provide responsive constituent service.  

“As a fiscal conservative, I will continue to do all I can to save taxpayer money and make government more efficient,” stated Pennington.  Council Member Pennington’s action is in response to the Mayor’s announcement of a city wide furlough plan for municipal employees for the month of December.