By By Adam Prestridge
Times are tough throughout the nation and Atmore is no exception.
Atmore Mayor Howard Shell confirmed Tuesday that the city has made numerous spending cuts in each department including the layoff of six employees.
Shell said the layoffs included employees with the beautification department and part-time employees with parks security. He said no service employee cuts were made.
The amount of revenue the city will save is unknown, but Shell believes the cuts were the appropriate measures to take during hard economic times.
Shell, who is in his 22nd year as mayor, said this is the first time he has dealt with an economy in the distress it is in today.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Shell said. “People much older and who study historical records say that this is of historical proportions. No one has ever witnessed anything like this happening nationally.”
As for whether the nation is in a recession or a depression, Shell hasn’t categorized the nation’s current economic situation.
Shell added that the city operates on sales tax, encouraging residents to shop locally to increase funds.