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Committee corrects pay-plan wording, then postpones wider title changes for more review
Summary
Committee approved scrivener corrections and title changes in the pay-plan ordinance but postponed broader pay-plan changes as amended so councilors and staff can resolve questions about union contracts, exact offers and budget lines.
The ordinance committee on July 21 approved a set of technical amendments to the city's pay-plan ordinance and then voted to postpone broader pay-plan changes to a subsequent meeting to allow staff to provide additional details about union negotiations and compensation funding.
Attorney Resnick read amendments to correct a scrivener's error and to change references to the deputy commissioner of buildings/chief inspector entry to "assistant commissioner of buildings," and to strike language related to the deputy commissioner of public works. The motion to make those amendments was made, seconded and approved.
Interim Building Commissioner Bill Forte and CFO Troy Clarkson explained that several of the changes were name-only or clarifying (for example, giving the interim building commissioner more time to become a certified building official under the state code) and that the mayor's office is restructuring public-works leadership. "The changes were not substantial...the only substantive change is that the deputy commissioner has time to get certified," Forte said.
Some councilors, notably Councilor Griffin and Councilor Farwell, asked how the ordinance interacts with rank-and-file union contract ratifications and whether approval would send a poor message to city employees when some unions have not settled. Councilor Griffin proposed holding off until contract negotiations are further along; counsel and administration said the titles and wage ordinance are distinct from union settlements, but the committee agreed to postpone the overall ordinance as amended so members can gather the requested information and avoid misperception.
The committee then voted to postpone the ordinance as amended to the ordinance meeting in August, leaving the corrective amendments in place but deferring final action on the broader package.
The committee asked staff to return with the exact offer made to the IT director and additional budget confirmation for the chief information officer line.
Next steps: administration will provide requested salary-offer details and timelines for union negotiations to help the committee make a final determination at a future ordinance meeting.
