10/07/2008 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 10/7/2008 compensation packages. Councilman Barker is concerned with a lack of a rainy day fund. He questioned why we would need to grab money from other streams of income in order to pay for these raises. He indicated that he wants more money for streets and service. President Kennedy cautioned that we should never forget that this isn't just a $15,000 raise this year. It's also $15,000 more next year. He agrees with Mr. Harker that we should focus on service. Mr. Ryan noted that times are bad. He suggested that maybe it's time to have reductions in pay. He remarked that it's not out of the question to reduce salary and cut benefits. The first priority is the health of the city. Next year is a watershed moment for tough decisions. There is no guarantee for next year. Mr. Kennedy remarked that the tough decisions need to be made now. Councilman Gareau indicated that a raise is not out of the question, but we need to deal with it in the context of the greater financial picture. Where do we stand in the big picture? We don't know. He acknowledged the fairness and equity argument, but he wondered what are we going to do with a tight budget? Give them a raise today and fire them tomorrow? The Mayor added "This is wrong. What you are doing is wrong if you put the burden on these few employees." He referred to it as outrageous and suggested non-bargaining employees were being discriminated against. He urged Council to make it right. A resident cautioned the Mayor about lecturing Council as she thought it was outrageous to bring back legislation that failed 6-1. The Mayor commented that what he found outrageous was people coming to meetings close-minded. He said there was an arrogance in how they present themselves at these meetings. He then referred to this issue in the following terms: unfair, unjust, morally and ethically wrong, The Mayor cautioned that his sense of moral right and wrong will not allow this to happen. Councilman Gareau said this was not about trying to hold onto money. It was about trying to make up money for a potential $1.5 million shortfall. He indicated that that he had a problem with not knowing the full picture and making this decision. He is concerned with the potential loss of services such as brush pickup, leaf pick-up, and even the tax credit. When services fall, so will home values. There is a bigger question than just $15,000, and he will review the matter again when he has the full picture. The Mayor referred to the Councilman as being "disingenuous." The Mayor was promptly relieved of the floor by Councilman Gareau. He further commented that Mr. Gareau was not being honest and remarked that Councilman Gareau didn't have a good argument if the only way to handle it was through censorship. Mr. Orlowski thought the appropriations should have included set-aside money in the event of certain outcomes in negotiations. Mr. Ryan suggested this matter be held in committee for further information. Mr. Gareau indicated that he doubted such information could be provided in 1 '/2 weeks. A committee motion was made by Councilman Gareau to recommend approval, and it was seconded by Councilman Barker. The motion failed 2-1 with Councilman Kearney voting to recommend approval. After the meeting, the chairman sought additional information regarding compensation packages for affected employees. In the case of one employee who is covered in this ordinance, the city spent $45,071.21 in wages, $16,276.76 in health care, $631. in 6