Employees laid off in state agency's restructuring

At least 13 state employees were laid off Thursday as part of a restructuring in the Iowa Department of Administrative Services, officials said.

DAS spokesman Caleb Hunter said the agency is changing the way it delivers vertical construction projects to make the process more efficient and a better use of taxpayer dollars.

The restructuring meant 10 construction manager positions were no longer needed, he said. Also laid off were a safety officer, a technician and the agency's public information officer.

“It was certainly a surprise,” said Robert Bailey, who was informed on Thursday that he was being terminated for what he was told were budget considerations. “I'm going to miss the job. I enjoyed doing the gig. It was fun.”

Hunter said the new approach will see the state utilizing private construction companies to work with DAS staff in managing building projects at the Iowa Capitol Complex in Des Moines and at other state properties excluding the regent universities, Iowa Department of Transportation and the Iowa Public Employment Retirement System (IPERS).

Last year DAS construction managers oversaw 219 building projects worth an estimated $192 million in building projects. This fiscal year Hunter said the agency is engaged with 90 projects with estimated total costs of $90 million – a number down in part due to the phasing out of infrastructure projects funding via the I-JOBS bonding program --  that already are near an 80 percent completion rate.