03/19/1991 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 3/19/91 Audience Partici Lion (continued) .2 mil ion to e ity. Mr. i amosky also functions as a Personnel Director. In this area, he has saved the City over $150,000 in insurance costs. Also, through his efforts, our worker's comp rate has been lowered. With regard to the pay raises, the newspaper article failed to mention that the longevity program has been eliminated for Directors--it has now become part of their pay. In the past, longevity went to another line item ar~d was not reflected in the amount shown as base pay. Also, the figures in the appropriations ordinance are negotiation figures; Council will make changes. As it stands n~a, the Directors are underpaid, especially when compared to other cities the size of I~Torth Olmsted. For example, ovr Service Director is in charge of a Wastewater Treatment Plant, a bus company, the service garage, and. the Engineering Department. However, the Euclid Service Director, with 33 less employees and less departments, earned $10,400 more; the Strongsville Service Director, with 124 less employees, earned $4,000 more. With regard to the Safety Department, we hired 12 firemen last year and hired dispatchers to free up firemen to increase safety. We have added people in the Police Department and will add three mare this year. We are .asking for an amount for the Safety Director that reflects the responsibility of the job. Mayor Boyle commented that this City deserves professional administrators; and in order to get professionals, we must pay a decent wage. In the past when we underpaid Police dispatchers, they would come here, get their training, and leave within six months for better paying jobs. This situation directly affected the safety of our City. The same thing could happen with our Directors. Our Directors were chosen because of their backgrounds in their particular areas. These people, in their first year on the job, have presented to Council an unprecedented carry-over of approximately $1,300,000--that is where the raises are. The income tax funds are not being used for rams; these funds are specifically earmarked for slid waste removal and street repair. A city should be in the position of hiring Directors, like Mr. Copeland, who can serve different Admi.niatrations. Our City is ~w in that position because we are using professional people to do a professional job. Mrs. Babas visibly illustrated the difference between using professional people and non-professionals. She held up two pieces of paper, which were the 1989 grant proposals of the past Administration. She then showed. the proposals from 1990--boxes of files, charts, tapes, video tapes. Mrs. Babas commented that through the efforts of the Mayor, Mr. Bonn, and Mr. Wilamosky the City received over four million dollars. Mr. Wilamosky was busy in other areas: reduced health care expenses; secured credit fran the Bureau of Workmen's Compensation fran employees who received wages and work's cgsation at the same time; saved general insurance costs of $52,000; collected $2,620 as a result of property damage; secured reimbursement from the County on Bradley Road, $25,000; secured three Title 5 people to work for the City at no expense, $15,000. Mrs. Babas said she would vote for raises on the basis of logic, facts, and what will be in the best interests of the city. 6