08/06/2002 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 8/6/2002 The directors needs to dig deeper and trim without cutting personnel. They should be ,~ told to be more effective in directing the work of the existing employees. Last November, the voters were told we were in the best financial shape. We get into March, and there is a big issue about a money crunch. We do not have the manpower in any department to balance the books by layoffs. Council should not allow themselves to be pushed into approving this budget until they can be sure that every director has done all they can to cut back on costs in their department. Sandie Stuart, 6340 Stumph Road, Parma Heights, is the sub-local president of the Clerical and Technical Union. She is present, as the other union members, to discuss the budget. She has lost many union members and is going to lose two more to layoff. The union cannot absorb any more work. The administration wants to have cutbacks by combining more work. Last October, the union lost a building inspector who passed away suddenly. The Building Department absorbed all that work. In March, a Secretary II was lost in the Police Department. The Police Department secretaries have absorbed that work. At this time, they want to reduce the secretary in the Fleet Maintenance Department and have the Public Works secretary do that work. The Public Works secretary is akeady the Public Works Commissioner and the secretary because she absorbed that work. Now we are asking her to be the fleet mainrtenance secretary and the fleet maintenance manager. As a result, the fleet maintenance secretary will have to bump someone. They will keep bumping, and there will be approximately five employees in new jobs. Also, the Fire Department Secretary II is being eliminated. That job has been there for eight years. She has a list of ail their job duties that are rather extensive. (She will submit the list to the Clerk who will distribute them to Council.) Another union member is being lost next month as the payroll supervisor is retiring. Her job will be replaced, but the person replacing her will not be replaced. The Finance Department will be absorbing more work. At the end of the year, the property maintenance inspector will retire. At this time, it hasn't been decided whether he will be replaced. Council members deal with the property maintenance inspector and know the scope of his work. The Building Departmen can't absorb any more work. She is asking Council to look at the budget and find money for the union members. They have taken on work that they normally wouldn't have to do, but have done it. They have no overtime-it has been kept to a minimum or not used any at all. They are losing more members and absorbing more work and providing a city service. Most of the union members are residents, and they do provide city services to residents as union members. They provide money in the economy by shopping here, having lunch here. They provide city services to residents who call them everyday they are the city's walking, talking business card. They make good public relations with the residents. They have absorbed as much as they can and are asking Council to absorb more for them so they can keep the union members working. Tom Herbster, 4965 Porter Road, spoke about Ordinances 99-126 and 2002-105. He is a resident of over 27 years and an employee of the city for over 18 years. The city has cut about $720,000 from the budget this year and another $2 million will be cut next year. The city has laid off or reduced the work forces for the police, fue, crossing guards, wastewater, recreation and secretaries. So why are we looking to increase the 16