05/28/1974 - Special
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Proceedings of Special Civil Service Board meeting held May 28, 1974.
The Clearwater Civil Service Board met in special session on Tuesday evening,
May 28, 1974 in the Civil Service Offices City Hall.
Members present: Atlie A. Schardt, Cliff Stephens, Glen~; Vantrease, Helen Peters
and Glem Finkenbinder.
Visitors: Gerald Weimers Asst. City Manager, Mary Drew, President C.E.A.,
Bill Bryant, FF, and Ed Sims, F.O.P.
Chairman Schardt called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M. and read the following
statement:
"This special meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, May 28, 1974 at 7:30 P.M. In accord-
ance with Civil Service Rule 2, Section 2, the meeting was called by the Director of
Personnel.
At a special meeting the only business that can be considered, discussed, and voted
upon is a specific business for which the special meeting is called. The specific
business is as follows:
'That a 15% across the board salary increase be granted to all currently employed
civi~ service employees effective May 1, 1974.'
When the volume of explanatory materials was delivered, I was assured that it would
be a short meeting lasting perhaps not more than five minutes. That would allow
each member, leas than one minute per person to arrive at a sound judgment. Itowever,
I find nothing in any Rule that seta time limits for any regular or special meeting.
,Therefore, this meeting will run until every member of the Board has had his say or
until the Board votes for adjournment. I would like to say at the outset that
approximately an addition of one and one half million dollars will have to be paid by
the taxpayers. I have some' points of view on this measure that I did when I helped
put the October across-the-board raise in. Now 1 am a taxpayer. However the raise
affects each taxpayer will amount to very little. I am over 79 years old and the
extra. taxes I pay in my few remaining years won't by any means make or break me. Now
I make that seemingly sentimental, and perhaps senile, observation to indicate that
I am interested, not as an individual taxpayer, but as one presumably must consider
the taxpayers as a whole. When the original cost of living bonus proposition was
offered, I was wholeheartedly in favor of it, but suddenly the whole picture changed
to an across-the-board increase in salary for reasons that any dummy could figure out -
the third raise within a span of thirteen months and for quite a few employees the
fourth raise in thirteen months. Accordingly, I regard this meeting as an exercise
in futility. Until Saturday noon all I knew of this salary situation I read in the
newspaper. It seemB that the three petttioning organizations had met and arrived
at an agreement. The newspaper headline indicated 'City Employees Granted Salary
Increase.' Then the representatives met with some of the city administration officials
and again the headlines stated that a salary increase agreement had been arrived at.
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- 2 -
Civil Service Board Special Meeting
May 28, 1974
The City Civil Service Rules provide that a special meeting of the Civil Service Board
may be called by the chairman. I saw nothing of any rush that could not be taken care
of in our regular monthly meeting. Two members may petition for a special meeting;
no one did. The Director of Personnel may call a special meeting; he did. According
Co the Charter, no salary measure would be valid until approved by the City Commission
and the Civil Service Board. At no time was your Chairman, your representative, in-
vited into any meeting or consulted by letter or by phone. The Civil Service Board
was completely ignored until it was decided that a hurry-up job was necessary. I
suddenly found'that it was very important to call a special meeting - have a special
meeting called. I was assured that within a five minute period the Board could complete
the mockery of considering an important measure. The Rule requiring the approval of
the Civil Service Board is a joke. The five members could be regarded as five stooges
and the rule for the sake of rationality should be erased or the presence of whoever
your Board Chairman may at that occasion be - should be invited to attend those meetings
if his Board is going to be called upon to do any voting. At no time since his
inauguration has the City Manager met with or acknowledged the existence of the Civil
Service Board. I now have no wish to meet him anymore than he has had to meet with
us.
Now why should every member of the Board have a chance to speak his piece and to ask
questions? Because every member has had, or will have many friends or representatives
of organizations who are going to have questions. This meeting should serve to shield
the members from the embarrassment of ignorance. I have been subjected to these
embarrassments and I would like a few protective answers. I wish to emphasize that mw
questions are not combative, not in the spirit of antagonism or negativism.
I am merely seeking information upon which to base judgment - the best judgment that I
can. I wish also to remind those in the room that when the October new pay schedule
came before the Board and it was time to make a motion to approve it, ~here was no
set motion from the floor, but the record will show that I left the Chairs made the
motion for approval of the new pay schedule. It was an aggravated, even harrowings
task and even a resented action. I have no intentions of repeating that performance,
so I am trying to emphasize that this Board, at this date, has been completely ignored
even though it is one of the two bodies whose approval is necessary for the passage .
for the validity of this important measure and I am trying to point out too that
something is necessary to give your Board more authority than to be given a five
minute meeting, presumably for the express purpose of saying .yes' and departing.
Now~ I have a few questions which I would like any member of the Board or the Department
of ' Personnel staff to answer.
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1. Will the taxpayer who will have to produce the revenue have anything to say about
this measure? Do you understand there will be no financing to this'l"
'The Director responded by stating that the pay proposal will be presented to the City
Commission and that information similar to that sent to the Civil Service Board was
sent to the Commission from the Manager1s Office. The recommendation will be a part of
the June 3rd City Commission Agenda.
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- 3 -
Civil Service Board Special Meeting
May 28, 1974
Chairman then asked if there had been any talk about a referendum or bond issue because
, the pay raise "... .is going to put the City in the red several hundred thousand
dollars. II The Director advised that a memo from Mr. Jeff Butler, Assistant City Manager
indicated that the revenue will be provided through available reserve and by making
some adjustments in the capital improvement program.
Chairman questioned whether this meant that some things in the capital improvement
program will be cut out to make available the money for the pay increase. Director in-
dicated that he felt probable delays might occur in those programs indicated until next
budget year and that when the capital improvement budget is reviewed next year they
will consider putting these items back in and possibly eliminating other programs, such
as the Indianapolis Plan, that are no longer feasible.
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After continued comment regarding delay of capital funds by the Chairman, Mr. Vantrease
responded by noting that the monies for the proposed raise "....could come from delayed
plans, it could come from abdication of a plan, it could come from adjustment of a plan,
it could come from price adjustment of a plan. To say that a plan is being put off
into the future, we don't know that." Mr. Stephens continued the discussion by stating
that "It could come from a tax increase or an increase in utilities. This is the
Commission1s responsibility and they have got to decide whether or not the employees
warrant a tax increase and if it does, then they are the ones who have to increase it.
The people will have to object or approve a tax increase if that is what it is to
supplement the good employees. II In response to a question by Mr. Schardt as to how the
taxpayers eKpress themselves, Mr. Stephens said, "To their City Corranissioners - the
people they elect -- to the Conunissioners, they have all kinds of means.1I
Chairman then raised the question as to an increase in water rates to assist in funding
the proposed pay increase. Mr. Stephens acknowledged that this could be possible.
However, it could be that the water rate increase may be increased but not necessarily
to give the employees a raise. That could be for, financing improvements in various
'departments but that is an administration decision.
Chairman then asked if the 15% increase proposed, retroactive to May 1, 1974 had been
reached in terms of the cost of living. He noted the 15% cost of living point is
projected for a future date and asked if the Director had those cost of living figures
and had the date been reached. Director explained that the Consumer Price Index,
national figures, had increased 10.2% since the last across-the-board increase to City
employees, and that the 15% was not a projected figure. Other factors entered into the
15% figure, including the effect of taxes, local economy turnover rates and other items.
It was pointed out that the national C.P.I. may not accurately reflect the rate for
Pinellas County and the Clearwater area. .
At this point, Mr. Stephens moved that the recommended 15% across-the-board salary
increase be granted to all currently employed civil service employees effective
May 1, 1974. Seconded by Mr. Vantrease and motion carried.
.
~. Schardt then declared the meeting adjourned, the purpose for the specially called
meeting having been acted upon.
Because a discussion ensued with respect to the pay proposal, the meeting in effect
continued. There was a question as to whether the meeting was adjourned as no
motion had been offered.
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- 4 -
Civil Service Board Special Meeting
May 2B. 1974
Mr. Vantrease: "I would like to clarify II couple of points.
1. As far as being involved in the verbal negotiations. 1 think there
is ample news in the newspapers and I could have become involved
very eaSily. I chose to wait and let the administration and the
employee groups negotiate the terms.
2. As to the City Manager being heroJ I don't think that is proper."
Mr. Schardt: HAll I was pleading for was that this Board be given recognition because
eventually it is going to have to vote and it should be in on the
negotiating steps. The representatives of the various employees'
associations are in it, the city officials are in it, and I see no
reason why this Board should not be authorized to have a representative
be on the inside so that your representative from this board could report
direct to the Board what went on in these meetings. All I ~as aiming
at was a strengthening of the position of the Board in salary and other
negotiations less important.1I
Mr. Vantrease:"From my point of view I felt that at any point we wanted to become
involved, I coulu have requested that involvement. I am sure that it
would have been acceptable to the Ci ty Manager. \-1h11e I have never
met Mr. Floyd, I think his office is adequately represented."
Mr. Vantrease:tlAs for taxpayers, I am associated with a much maligned group also. We
own property in the area - pay substantial taxes on them and aren't
even permitted to get building petmits even though the property is
assessed at a high value."
Mr.. Schardt: "cody & Associates recommended 7~'L II
Mr.. Stepp..ens: ''Well, even the ex.perts are wrong sometimes .1'
Mr. Schardt: liThe only people invited to participate in this meeting officially were
the five members on the Board plus the Director of Personnel's staff and
the Ci~ Manager or his representative and he has sent Mr. Weimer as his
supplement for many, many months. You will recall during my Chairmanship
that we have extended wide latitude not only to representatives - wide
latitude of participation - not only to representatives of organizations
but to invite even visitors and in some cases the visitors had something
they wanted to say."
Mr. Schardt: "Mr. Weimer you have always helped us out - do you have anything to say?"
Nr. Weimer: "No sir, I do not."
~~. Stephens said before n~eting was adjourned that the Civil Service Office has some
employees who are not in the classified service and there are other employees not in
the classified service who also have looked forward to this cost of living increase.
r would like to offer another motion to include those members of the Personnel Department
who are not under the classified service also be given a 15% increase and would
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highly .recommend to the administration that any other employees in the City Manager s
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f~~,j,;,.~:,;~':,,'~,A Mr. Stephens: "Not at that stage, I think right here is where we are supposed to do
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oil, 5 ...
Civil Service Board Special Meeting
Nay 28, 1974
office who - or any other employecsof the City who dontt come under this classified
service be granted a 15% cost of living increase.
"Mr. Stephens, os I pointed out, at a special meeting, only the specific
recommendation that is to be acted upon is the one stated in a letter
calling for a special meeting and that statement was for 15% for
classified employees only and so the meeting is adjourned. Now, if
you want to take any further action, it would have to be at another
special meeting but according to parliamentary legality, we have
included all that is allowed in the parliamentary law."
HAt all times if you have been keeping up with the negotiations and the
facts and figures that were available to you, you would have appraised
yourself of what was going on at any level. You were objecti~g to the
fact that you had not been called in on the negotiations and my personal
feeling is that the Civil Service Board should hot have been in on it."
"And you don't think they should in on them in the future?"
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Attie A. Schardt{ Chairman
"