SAC CITY, IOWA – DECEMBER 13, 2010
1. The interview team for round one consisted of Bob Scheffler and Adam Ledford.
2. 12 – 14 individuals were interviewed.
3. A second wave of interviews was conducted based on the candidates that interested them during the first interview.
- There were four candidates interviewed during this wave.
- Councilperson Bill Brenny joined Bob Scheffler and Adam Ledford for this wave.
4. Bob Scheffler, Adam Ledford and Bill Brenny met and agreed to recommend that the council make an offer for the position to Justin Coats.
Back and forth with Curtis Bloes
5. Why pay him so much?
- the terms of payment are determined by the labor agreement.
6. Why is the labor agreement specifying so much money to start with when so many surrounding towns are paying less?
- All I can specify is that it is strictly based upon the labor agreement.
- I find it hard to believe that if anyone was running their own business they would hire a general laborer at this rate.
-- They do a bit more than just general labor.
--- What else to they do?
---- grave digging requires operation of heavy equipment.
- The labor agreement in place is based on a percentage of Bob Scheffler’s pay.
-- Bob, why are you still working for the city, how come you haven’t retired?
--- Question dropped.
- Sheriff’s Deputies are hired at a percentage of the Sheriff’s wage.
- Why is it set up that way, why not base it on prevailing local wages, wouldn’t that be smarter?
-- Not answered.
7. Bill Brenny, you own a business, would you hire someone to do this at this rate?
- Bill Brenny sidesteps question.
- I understand that this is the way the agreement has been set up, but would you personally hire someone at your business to do this work or $15.70 per hour?
-- Brenny will not commit to answering question.
8. Is there a way to look at this and set it up in a more realistic manner?
- Yes, the next time there is a labor contract review it can be changed, but it cannot be changed fin this particular instance.
- Just because your opinion doesn’t agree with ours doesn’t mean you are write.
-- Oh, I’m not trying to be right or wrong, I’m trying to figure out why this is happening. this just seems silly that you would pay so much money when prevailing wage-
--- that’s not that much money.
---- It’s a lot more money than a laborer makes anywhere else in the area.
----- that is not true.
------ Name examples.
9. Mayor Barb Powell attempts to stop the discussion by saying that this is outside realm of discussion, and then repeating what has already been said.
10. I’m happy with that, go ahead and schedule a discussion for the next council meeting so that we can discuss it.
- I don’t know when the labor agreement comes up.
-- It doesn’t matter when the labor agreement comes up, you can schedule a discussion about anything that you want if you schedule it, you are in control of the agenda, are you not?
--- yes, we are.
--Cool, will that be at the next agenda then?
--- Adam I leave that up to you-
---- Actually it’s up to you Mayor.
- you are welcome to have anything on the agenda, but it won’t change the fact that without changing the labor negotiated agreement.
11. you don’t seem very willing to disclose, (tonight,) the method that you would actually have to go through to change the system, because it’s outside of the realm of tonight’s conversation.
- I’d be happy to tell you about it.
-- The management has a labor negotiation team that is appointed by the Mayor usually every two years.
-- Typically they meet on an annual basis to negotiate.
12. When do the negotiations begin?
- Between October and February over the beginning of the calendar year.
- Any changes to the negotiated contract will not begin until the beginning of the next fiscal year.
13. Are the labor negations scheduled yet for this period.
- They are currently ongoing.
14. Starting on what date?
- We first met at the beginning of December.
15. Who are the members of the negotiating team?
- Jim Johnston and Gary Hansen represent management.
-- What a shock.
- Mike Rix and the department heads represent the employee side.
-- blah blah blah.
16. How many years in a row have Johnston and Hansen represented the taxpayers?
- Jonston has been on this committee previously and is on his first year for this appointment.
- This is Hansen’s third year in a row on the committee.
17. Approval of hire.
- Nay from Councilperson Frohardt.
-- Feels that the taxpayer can be better served with less costly alternative that are available.
Copyright (c)2007-2010 Curtis Bloes All Rights Reserved
Time to get out the pitch forks! Ask any CNA at the hospital or nurseing homes, skilled lobor, how much they make. How much does Milo Lines pay his help at the pop corn plant. This is an outrage. NO WONDER OUR TAXES ARE SO HIGH!!! NO WONDER EVERY TOWN AROUND US IS LAUGHING AT US. These jobs used to go to people that couldn't do anything else, you know skilled. Until the fine folks of Sac City get off their butts and vote these crooks out of the city council nothing will ever change. I'll bet my life they could of found 10 people that would have worked this job for $8.00 an hour. I know, I know why do I hate Sac Ctiy? This is why!!! What a crock!
ReplyDeleteSad but true.
ReplyDeleteThis is why people leave Sac City.
Too bad our opinions (the people getting the short end of the stick) about the way this city is run don't matter. I wonder exactly how many people would agree that this city needs better leaders, all the way around..and what if anything we as citizens can do about it
ReplyDeleteThe statement that only those who could not get a job elsewhere in past hired to work for city. This is not true in most cases. However, the fact that the salaries are so high is something that needs looked at. Look at the scandal in California regarding too high pay for people working for city. Many hospitals in the region base pay on the going rate across Iowa for similiar work or job. Perhaps this is what should be considered for those working for the city, based on population, etc. It is not a good feeling when one knows how they worked hard for a education and look at how the city is basing wages for many with little education and experience. This has all taken place over the past 25-30 years slowly with Sac City. The city workers get excellent insurance, Ipers, and other perks that most people don't always get with the run of mill job in the mid west. This issue does need looked at and compared across Iowa with other towns and be fair. Basing it on someone else's salary is a interesting concept. Perhaps they have not appropriately based the salary they are comparing to. This is not a personal attack. The fact is in comparison to hard working people salaries in this region, there is a problem that needs examined to assure that the city workers are paid a fair appropriate wage.
ReplyDeleteWaah Waah Waah....Did you people apply for the job?
ReplyDeleteHere is how the City goes about coming up with the salary ranges. Every two years the Iowa League of Cities compiles salary data from municipalities across the state. Then they publish a book of these findings, one can be yours for the measely sum of $600 if you did not participate in the survey, and the City then compares staff wages to similar sized communities from across the state. The job titles are what are used to determine who gets compared to who. For instance, the water superintendant from Sac is compared to the water superintendant from say Ida Grove and Audubon which bracket Sac in size, according to the Iowa League of Cities website. The comparison is made with regard to wages, and let's face it most municipalities have the same benefits package so don't try to come back in and say that Sac's employees have better benefits than anyone else. Anyway, then phone calls are placed to other similar government entities in the area to see what they are doing for cost of living raises this next budget year. A list is developed to see where the City falls in and what usually ends up happening is that the City falls in the middle of the pack. So let's say that the county shop is getting 4% cost of living adjustment (COLA) and that the schools are giving 3.5%. The negotiation teams will start out high for the employees knowing that the council will not accept their initial offer and that there will be a counter-offer. What ends up happening is that a compromise is reached somewhere in the middle. So say that the employees were bargaining for 4.5% in the beginning but all along realize that it will never happen at 4.5%. They are happy though to say that 3.5% is acceptable given that the school is paying that out next year. Now your readers may not remember, but it wasn't too long ago that the negotiation team opted to take no raise as long as the City did not mess with the employees health insurance.
More than 10 years ago the City did a study to see where wages were in comparison with similar sized cummunities and found that the City was way behind other sommunities in the State. At that time they opted to slowly increase wages over a three year period by including a $0.24 per hour increase every six months to try and get the City back on an even playing field. At the end of that three years the City was still behind but closer than they had been in the past. City employees get no bonus at the end of the year or Christmas like private sector employees do. Does anyone who works at Pella Corp remember years of huge bonuses? Well the City employees don't get that, they get their wages and that is all.
I feel like I've been rambling on and moving between topics and I just wanted to give a little inside on what really happens for your City employees.