09-22-08 Common Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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REGULAR MEETING SEPTEMBER 22, 2008 officers; we need to train them and keep them here and those are the goals that the negotiating team was aiming for. Catherine Fanello, City Controller, stated that the negotiating team worked really hard to try and stay within the restraints that were talked about during the Executive Sessions. She stated that we are all cognizant that the City is going to face a financial Armageddon if things do not change within the next few months. She stated that they would like to keep as many police officers and firefighters on staff as possible. Ms. Fanello stated that she was not aware that she had not thoroughly answered Councilmember Rouse’s question regarding that if the team did not give raises how many people could the City keep on staff. She stated that she went back and crunched the numbers and the City could maybe keep about twelve to fifteen people on staff between the Public Safety Department if the City did not give any raises or salary adjustments. Council Member Rouse stated that response did not clearly answer his question. He asked Ms. Fanello with the lack of a 2% increase the City would loose 80% of the police department? He asked Ms. Fanello to explain keeping only twelve (12) people. Ms. Fanello stated that she may have not understood Councilmember Rouse’s question correctly. She stated that if the City did not give raises at all how many people would the City be able to keep. Councilmember Rouse stated that was opposed to the forty that Ms. Fanello stated earlier that if the City does not get any new money, the City is going to have to lay-off. So if he understands correctly that would reduce the number to twenty-eight (28) if the City did not give the raises. Ms. Fanello stated between Police and Fire. Councilmember Rouse stated that the 2% is going impact the budget to the point that they would be able to keep rather than lay-off forty (40) people, they would only have to lay- off twenty-eight (28). Ms. Fanello reiterated between Police and Fire total. She figured an average salary of $50,000 plus benefits, because you have to count in the total cost. th Mr. Charles Leone, City Attorney, 14 Floor County-City Building, South Bend, Indiana, advised that he served as the Representative and Chief Negotiator for the Board of Safety in the combined negotiations for the FOP #36. He stated that he was pleased with the result as it was a difficult year. But as they worked through the process there was a genuine problem solving approach and creative solutions. He stated that he believes that there was a very positive result and process based on the relationship that had been built up over the past years. He stated that the working agreement going forward is only for one (1) year as is the wage package. He believes that it is workable for 2009 and that is really what the negotiating team’s goal was and did not even want to look one year beyond that because it was just too uncertain at this point. The team does feel good about the result and will be recommending it to the Board of Safety. Scott Ruszkowski, President, FOP #36, stated that he is here tonight as President of the FOP #36 to speak in favor of this bill concerning the Police Department’s Wage and Benefit Package. The FOP #36 passed the ratification proposal as recommended by their Labor and Wage Teams. The ballots also passed floor motion, discussion and subsequent vote. He thanked the Negotiation Team for time and effort in this endeavor. He personally thanked Kathleen Cekanski-Farrand, the Common Council Attorney, for being at the presentations to the FOP members. She attended one meeting at 10:00 p.m. and also the 1:00 p.m. earlier that day. At both presentations she was put on the spot to say the least and handle herself very professionally. She fielded more questions than he did as FOP President. For three months the FOP #36 negotiated with the City Council, Mayor’s Office, and the Board of Public Safety. For three months they got to know each other very well, from one Councilmember bringing large bags of snacks at each session, not mentioning any names. To an attorney telling them that Notre Dame would no longer have home games if they ask them to pay for police services. Again, he did not mention 6