BY IRIS B. HOLTON

Sentinel City Editor

The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is proposing to close its Tampa Field Office. Located in downtown Tampa, 15 people are employed in the office.

Jereon Brown, spokesman for HUD, said the Tampa Office is one of 16 slated for closure. “The Tampa Field Office is one of 16 nationwide that proposed for closure. We are currently negotiating with the Union.”

Brown said 15 employees would be displaced if the office is closed. However, he said the employees were given the option of early retirement, relocation, or taking a $25,000 buyout that would also allow them to retire.

Brown further said the decision to close the offices was based on budget restrictions and reducing overhead. “In the 1980s we had 16,000 employees and 80 offices.

“Now we have 9,000 and 80 offices. Each year we spend $193,000 on the building, $56,000 on yearly administrative costs, as well as the cost of utilities, etc. Closing this office would save more than $2 million per year.

“We understand how the community feels, and we have decided to keep offices in each state,” Brown said in response to the online petition to keep the office open.

However, he said, the government is looking at technology and residents would still be able to conduct their business on line at the HUD website or through the use of Social Media. He further stated that residents could file on line and that HUD will also have employees rotating through the area throughout the year.