We regret to announce that after nearly 33 years, Custodian Manuel Gomez will be discontinuing his work with us at the end of this fiscal year, June 30, 2025. Upon careful review of our budget for the upcoming fiscal year, the Board of Trustees made the difficult decision to eliminate the Custodian position going forward.
During the pandemic, UUCP made a commitment to keep all our staff employed, even when the building was not in use. We are proud that we honored this commitment. However, it has been a challenging financial time since then, as rising costs have made it difficult for the congregation to meet its budget. In place of a full-time employee, UUCP will be engaging a cleaning service, TJ Pro Cleaners, which has in fact already worked for us periodically during the past several years.
The Board made this decision in the face of economic necessity. The elimination of the Custodian position, and substitution with a cleaning service, will save UUCP $50,000 annually. This allows the Board and Finance Committee to present to the congregation a balanced budget for 2026. That budget, just released in advance of June 8’s Annual Congregational Meeting, is in alignment with the income we’re able to raise, thanks to our stewardship efforts.
We realize that this congregation still holds some trauma from abrupt personnel changes in its history—in particular, 2019’s staff shrinkage that cost us two beloved staff members. With this in mind, the Board has strived for transparency: with Manuel, who was given very early notice of this change, with the staff members most affected by his departure, and (with this message) with the congregation.
It’s possible that congregants may continue to see Manuel on campus, as he is continuing in employment with UUCP’s tenant, Desert View Learning Center (DVLC).
UUCP expresses its deepest appreciation for Manuel’s long and dedicated service to the UUCP community. We plan to honor Manuel’s contributions during a service in June.
For more information, contact board@phoenixuu.org .