In budget discussions Tuesday, the Urban County Council voted to postpone most of the layoffs called for in the mayor's proposed 2011 budget.

Mayor Jim Newberry's general fund budget called for laying off 17 permanent employees. Those positions were to be eliminated because of steps taken to make several areas of city government run more efficiently.

Five employees in the family services division have already been laid off because the food service program in which they worked was taken over by the Fayette County Public Schools.

The other targeted jobs in human resources, risk management and parks and recreation will be studied by a committee of the council for six months. "We only put half a year's salary in there for these positions," said councilman Kevin Stinnett.

Reach Beverly Fortune at (859) 231-3251 or 1-800-950-6397, Ext. 3251