MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
Held April 25, 2000
For the purpose of hearing Public Works employees’ budget concerns

The meeting began at 8:05 p.m. It was held in the Council Room of the Municipal Building.

PRESENT WERE: Council members Rodney M. Roberts, Alan Turnbull, Edward V.J. Putens, Thomas X. White and Mayor Judith F. Davis.

STAFF PRESENT WERE: Michael P. McLaughlin, City Manager, David E. Moran, Assistant to the City Manager, Jeff Williams, City Treasurer, Anne Marie Belton, Executive Secretary, Public Works employees: Karl Skaggs, Joe Doss, Jeff Keifline, and Kenny Hall.

ALSO PRESENT WERE: Betsy Likowski, Greenbelt News Review, and Karl Hille, The Gazette.

Mr. Skaggs shared the concerns of the Public Works employees regarding the current pay scale. The employees believe that not receiving a COLA for a period of three (3) years (FY96-FY98) has caused a deficiency in salary when compared with the Consumer Price Index. Mr. Skaggs also noted that several employees in Public Works have been with the City for so long that they are not eligible to receive the maximum increase at the time of their annual review. This is due to the fact that they are at the top of the pay scale for their grade (performance level). Mr. Putens believes that a performance bonus should be separate from the normal pay scale. He suggested taking a look at our current pay scale and possibly redesigning it to show separation between an annual increase and a performance bonus. Mr. McLaughlin said a redesign of the pay scale could be looked into if needed after reviewing the compensation study. Mr. Putens also suggested a hazard pay plan for non-clerical type jobs as well as a specialized pay plan for specialized jobs such as equipment operators.

Mayor Davis recognized three (3) issues that need to be addressed: the City wants to attract good employees, the City wants to retain those good employees and lastly, reward the employees who have stayed. The Mayor requested that a comparison of the number of reclassifications within each department be done.

Public Works employees expressed disagreement with the decision last year to extend the deferred compensation contribution program to police officers and Retirement System employees. The deferred compensation plan was started to supplement the City’s pension system due to its contribution rate being significantly lower than the Retirement System and the police officers’ retirement plan. Mr. Putens requested a copy of a retirement comparison done a few years ago.

Council thanked Mr. Skaggs and the other representatives of the department for sharing the concerns of the Public Works employees and suggested meeting with the employees once a year.

The meeting ended at 9:22 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Anne Marie Belton

Executive Secretary

City of Greenbelt, Maryland
City Offices, 25 Crescent Road, Greenbelt, MD 20770
Phone: 301-474-8000 FAX: 301-441-8248