Money from President Barack Obama’s stimulus bill will keep a handful of laid-off Colorado Springs government workers on the city payroll for at least a year.

El Paso County commissioners voted 3-1 Thursday to approve an agreement that allows the Pikes Peak Workforce Center to pay six city workers with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money. Although they’re working at the center, the city pays their wages and the workforce center reimburses the city.

The workforce center is a federally funded employment service that’s run under the authority of El Paso County.

That’s why the agreement had to be approved by county commissioners.

The employees, laid off in December and January, were hired by the workforce center in April and May in clerical and accounting jobs; pay rates for those jobs were not available from the workforce center on Friday.

Center vice president of operations Jim Kynor called the hires a “one-time thing,” noting the city workers had special skills applicable to the workforce center jobs.

The jobs were not posted publicly.

“These are temporary positions,” he said. “It would allow them to return back to the city should their positions be reinstated. It was a job retention strategy on a small scale.”

The same offer was made to the county, but Kynor said county officials said they “weren’t in a position” to refer laid-off employees.

“For us it was a great opportunity to get some of our employees that were laid off back into employment and getting pay and benefits,” city human resources director Ann Crossey said. “It’s a win-win. Our employees got jobs and kept their benefits and we, then, don’t pay unemployment.”

The agreement, which ends June 30, 2010, unless renewed, calls for the workforce center to reimburse the city for benefits and pay. The workers retained sick time earned previously, and they were paid by the city for unused vacation time except for 40 hours, which transferred to their workforce center jobs.

The city and county, the agreement states, “have determined that this important program will preserve jobs in Colorado Springs, stimulate the economy and benefit the entire Pikes Peak Region.”

Commissioner Amy Lathen, who has repeatedly voted against stimulus programs, opposed it, saying the jobs aren’t sustainable without more federal funding.

“Frankly, I don’t believe that the county should be involved in this IGA (intergovernmental agreement) because we have no authority over the city, their employees or budget,” she said in an e-mail.

Commissioner Dennis Hisey was absent.—Call the writer at 636-0238

Ann Alba made her rounds at the Broadmoor Hotel Wednesday afternoon and adjusted the chairs outside of Broadmoor West. Photo by CAROL LAWRENCE, THE GAZETTE