Pre-Council Briefing
Minutes
August 15, 2006
Present: Mayor Pro Tem Jack Rodgers. Councilors Gary Allen, Wayne Anthony,
Glenn Davis, Berry Henderson, Julius Hunter, Jr., Charles E. McDaniel, Jr.,
Evelyn Turner Pugh, Nathan Suber and Evelyn Woodson were present. Also present
were City Manager Isaiah Hugley, Deputy City Manager Lisa Goodwin, City
Attorney Clifton Fay, Chief Administrator Liz Turner, and Recording Secretary
Tameka J. Colbert.
Others Present: Director of Human Resources Tom Barron and Civic Center
Director Dale Hester.
Absent: Mayor Poydasheff was absent.
Location: Council Chambers Conference Room, on the Plaza level of the
Government Center.
Meeting began at 8:21 a.m.
Public Safety Education Incentive:
City Manager Hugley began the meeting advising the Council that the Public
Safety Education Incentive issue had been out there for a few weeks as part of
an overall ordinance. He said the ordinance was put in play to help clean up
some things related to the pay plan. He said last week we delayed the
educational piece due to the absence of Councilor Allen. He said Director of
Human Resources Tom Barron went back and pulled all of the various ordinances
and said on the back of the ordinance is chronology on the educational
incentive for public safety, which is available on e-cap and the on the back of
the agenda report.
City Manager Hugley read aloud the various ordinances as they pertained to the
educational incentive:
Ordinance 77-6 provided 5% incentive for 6 basic Police Science courses and 10%
additional incentive for Associate Degree in Criminal Justice or Bachelors
Degree in any field.
Ordinance 96-79 created simultaneously with implementation of the established
pay grade 11 for a Bachelors Degree and a pay grade 12 for a Masters Degree
with advancement to the next grade, same step, and 5% when current employees
obtain a higher degree.
City Manager Hugley pointed out that Ordinance 02-01, 02-12 and 02-13
established grade 9 programs for officers with specific college credits but did
not have the equivalence of an Associate Degree.
City Manager Hugley also pointed out that Ordinance 04-31 established the 9A
pay grade for employees with only a high school Diploma or GED and 9B for those
with a specific number of college credits. He said that it is where we have
gone with the various ordinances from 1977 to the current date.
Councilor Allen expressed his concerns stating, the whole educational program
was developed and created as an incentive for employees who were already on
board. He said if they went back to school and received their degree they were
provided with the appropriate percentages. He said the educational program was
not intended to be a recruiting tool to hire an individual at a higher rate.
City Manager Hugley said with the budget that was just adopted, if a person is
hired with a high school education they would be hired at a pay grade 14A. He
then said if a person obtains an Associate?s Degree he/she would start at a pay
grade 14b and if a person should obtain a Bachelor?s Degree they would receive
$1200, with a Master?s Degree they would receive $2400. He said this would
pertain to those individuals who are hired off the street. City Manager Hugley
assured the Councilors that those individuals who are already on board would be
compensated for their education.
City Manager Hugley said if we want to correct anything we should correct it
now if it is not going to be used to bring those individuals in from the
outside.
Councilor Allen said what we have done is change it from a percentage to a flat
rate.
City Manager Hugley said in the ordinance it states that the 5% will be
available to those who complete their education by June 30, 2008. He then said
we could fix it, that after June 30, 2008, those new individuals that come on
board will not receive the $1200 or $2400 bonus. He said if that change is
made effective, the Chief would not be able to be as successful recruiting
individuals.
Mayor Pro Tem Rodgers suggested that there be a little more discussion on the
issue. He said in light of all of the discussion we have had, some times we
don?t close all the holes or doors and end up in worse shape than we were. He
suggested that there be a second meeting so that everyone could get a clear
understanding.
City Manager Hugley said we will schedule a one-hour Pre-Council Meeting to
talk more in depth about the education incentive. He said we will provide the
Council with a fact sheet that would include Dr. Condry?s proposition.
Columbus Vipers:
City Manager Hugley informed the Council that he had sent a letter to the
Vipers exercising the cancellation clause in the agreement of a 180-day notice,
that the City of Columbus would not be continuing their agreement with them.
He said there have been several teams calling and expressing their interest in
coming. City Manager Hugley said Mr. Dale Hester would like to proceed with
signing a contract with the World Indoor Football League.
At this time Deputy City Manager Lisa Goodwin began distributing information
pertaining to the World Indoor Football League. (A copy was filed here in the
office and attached for the records).
Mr. Dale Hester came forward and expressed his thoughts as they relate to the
World Indoor Football League. He said this league would like to come in and
pay all of the unpaid bills that were accumulated by the former league. He
said he thinks it would be for the best benefit to the City of Columbus that we
go with this league.
City Manager Hugley said in this deal, the City is not putting anything on the
table and there is nothing to lose but quality of life and some revenue to
gain. City Manager Hugley then said, if the Council does not have any
objections he would like to add this item on the agenda.
There were no objections.
Meeting adjourned at 8:58 A.M.
___________________________
Tameka J. Colbert
Recording Secretary
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