Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Compensation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Stormwater board approves $30,000 reallocation for DPW stormwater pay, requires monthly financial transparency
Summary
The board approved reallocating $30,000 from the stormwater salaries account to compensate Department of Public Works employees for stormwater duties and required monthly posting of stormwater financials and bank reconciliations.
The Lawrence City Stormwater Advisory Board on April 28 approved a $30,000 reallocation from the stormwater salaries and wages account to provide incremental hourly pay increases and to convert part-time staff to full-time where needed for stormwater work. The board attached transparency conditions requiring monthly posting of stormwater financial summaries and monthly bank reconciliations.
Chris Wilborn, Department of Public Works, told the board the controller’s office had requested that any planned spending be presented to the board. Wilborn said the salary and wages account (account number 411.001) holds $120,000 and that the department has a $5,000 budget line for overtime. “We’re only asking for $30,000,” Wilborn said.
Wilborn described scenarios the money would cover, including moving one part-time employee to full-time status. He gave an illustration: a part-time employee currently earning about $25,000 a year in that role could see total compensation rise to about $50,000 with full-time status and benefits; Wilborn estimated those conversions could cost an additional $20,000 to $30,000 per affected employee. He also explained that the city has mechanisms to allocate portions of an employee’s salary to multiple funds by percentage.
Board members pressed for transparency. One member proposed, and the motion included, that by May the city post monthly stormwater financial summaries online and that by the end of the second quarter the summaries be updated retroactively to January 1, 2025. The motion also required that any stormwater bank accounts be reconciled monthly. Renee from the controller’s office confirmed the city holds the stormwater reserve funds in a restricted, nonreverting account and said the reserve was expected to be about $2.5 million remaining from prior years.
Tracy moved the motion to approve the $30,000 reallocation together with the transparency requirements; Rob seconded. The board voted in favor and the motion passed.
Wilborn said the department plans to monitor spending and return to the board if use of funds grows beyond initial estimates. He also said any larger requests would come back to the board for additional approval.
