Interim Albany Water, Gas & Light General Manager Tom Berry announced Wednesday afternoon a “reduction in force” that will impact eight WG&L employees.

Berry, who began his interim tenure with the city-owned utility on Sept. 1, said he hopes the eight jobs in WG&L’s fiber optics division are the only ones that need to be cut in his efforts to make the utility more efficient. But he said his evaluation of Water, Gas & Light’s entire operation would continue.

“This is the worst thing that has to be done in an organization, and it’s certainly not what I was brought here to do,” said Berry, who was a Georgia Power engineer for 19 years and the utilities superintendent/city manager of Thomasville for 20 more before starting work as an independent consultant in 2004.

“The action we’ve taken goes back to the reason I was asked to come to Albany: to make this organization more efficient. I certainly hope this is the only reduction in force we are required to make, but I can’t say that for sure right now. I am evaluating the entire operation.”

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