CLEARLAKE ? The Clearlake City Council voted Thursday to continue adoption of the city”s 2009-10 Fiscal Year Budget to the July 23 regular meeting. The item was continued to allow time for further negotiations with employee union organizations in effort to avoid lay-offs within the police and other departments, particularly code enforcement.
The budget presented by staff to the council on Thursday recommends a reduction in staff primarily affecting positions including police chief secretary, parks maintenance and code enforcement. Of the most concern, indicated by members of the council, was the elimination of two code enforcement positions, which equates to the entire department. Field duties of the code enforcement officers would be assumed by police officers and the paperwork would fall upon the Community Development Department.
All five members of the council voiced opposition to the suggested reorganization of the code enforcement department. Vice Mayor Judy Thein and Councilmember Curt Giambruno offered long lists of suggestions, including across-the-board salary cuts, in effort to retain the current workforce and avoid all lay-offs. Thein also said that the reorganization plan presented by Police Chief Allan McClain was attempted several times in the past without success.
“Code enforcement has come a really long way and they are a valuable tool to the city,” Thein said. “This was tried before and it failed. It was tried three times and each time it didn”t work.”
Thein suggested clearing the slate; forgetting past oppositions and revisiting the bargaining table to attempt a solution that would retain all jobs being considered for elimination. She suggested options such as a five percent pay decrease for all employees from top to bottom including city council members and/or for some positions, a one level reduction.
Giambruno also offered similar suggestions including mandatory furloughs for all employees once a month, hiring and salary freezes, elimination of part-time community service officer or limiting the position to 400 hours per year. Giambruno”s list included about a dozen cost-saving suggestions. “I tried to put a package together where everybody stays and nobody leaves,” he said.
Mayor Chuck Leonard and councilmembers Joyce Overton and Roy Simons also voiced opposition to cutting the code enforcement workforce and reorganizing duties. “Without code enforcement the city would be worse than it is now,” Simons said. “I don”t see taking these two experienced people and replacing them with two inexperienced people.”
Thein was adamant that all employees and officers must be in agreement and urged them to come back to the bargaining table to negotiate a solution. City Administrator Dale Neiman indicated that he had spoken with both the employee as well as the police officers association and that the consensus was against pay reductions. However, Carl Carey, union representative for both associations, contended that Neiman failed to make good faith efforts in communicating with the bargaining units. He said that the employees and officers are willing to discuss such options. “They are willing to sit down with you,” Carey said. “We stand ready to come back to the table.”
Neiman as well as McClain told the council that staff is open to renegotiating. However, he strongly suggested that a deadline be set for completing such an effort as negotiations can be quite lengthy. “My concern is we are running in the red and the longer we do that the more difficult it is to get out,” he said.
In addressing the council, Carey also presented a letter signed by both associations opposing the elimination of the police chief secretary, conveying that the position is vital to the operation of the entire department.
Also included in the budget discussion was recommendation to promote Public Works Supervisor Doug Herren into the Public Works Director position. Neiman said that the promotion would not have a financial impact on the city because he is willing to decrease his own salary by $3,000 in order to fund the promotion.
Negotiations are expected to occur throughout the next two weeks with consideration of budget adoption scheduled to return on July 23.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
