PORTLAND, Ore. — TriMet announced it has eliminated 68 positions, resulting in the layoffs of 26 employees, amid its growing budget gap .

The agency said Wednesday that the organizational changes were "part of our ongoing efforts to address a significant structural budget gap and bring staffing levels in line with revenues." The staffing reductions followed a hiring freeze, spending cuts and streamlining efforts, the agency continued.

TriMet said in this round of layoffs, no union employees were laid off but that some of them were transferred to other jobs.

“Layoffs are always a last resort,” said TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr. in a statement. “We’ve worked hard to limit them as much as possible, but the financial realities we face made some layoffs unavoidable.”

TriMet cited a

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