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Council debates 4% discretionary raises, tax-rate local law timeline and holdover appointment process
Summary
Members questioned a blanket 4% raise for department heads tied to union agreements, discussed the four-step local law process for setting the tax rate, and reviewed steps to convert a holdover elected post to an appointed position; the mayor said the council will address the appointments and salary terms in coming meetings.
Council members debated a proposed 4% across-the-board discretionary raise for department heads, discussed the local-law timeline for setting the city’s tax rate in October and reviewed a separate personnel issue involving a holdover elected official who would become an appointed position.
One council member objected to a blanket 4% discretionary increase for department heads, arguing it could widen pay disparities with union members who perform frontline duties and that the administration should prepare separate resolutions for individual roles rather than a single blanket raise. The mayor and other council members said the 4% proposal is parity-focused and consistent with union contract increases and that staff will present data and individual negotiations for discretionary positions once union contracts are finalized.
On taxation process, staff reviewed that moving a local law through the city’s four-step process requires council votes and the schedule would allow the administration to set an October tax-rate decision point rather than deciding immediately. Council members asked how many votes are needed for each step and whether the prior year’s process differed.
Separately, the mayor described recent civil-service guidance and a plan to convert an elected holdover office into an appointed position: staff said civil-service notification indicated the city must take action to remove the position as elected and then re-establish it as appointed, with council approval and a salary set at the prior level; the mayor said interviews have been held and he expects to nominate a candidate at a future meeting once the charter steps are complete.
No personnel changes or pay approvals were finalized at the meeting; council members asked for more detailed salary comparisons and individualized proposals before any resolution is posted for vote.
