Minutes - Council - 01/25/1994 - Special

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Councilmember Peterson expressed agreement with Chief Auspos' recommendations. #6: Court Time: Right now the court time is minimum of two hours at time and one-half the rate of pay. LELS is proposing to go from two to three hours. Chief Auspos is against this because there would be less incentive to try to settle out of court. The standby hours shrunk in 1993 but the court time increased dramatically (563%). Chief Auspos has remarked that court time should stay pretty much where it's at. #7: Proficiency Pay: The City currently pays on a schedule similar to 3, 5, 7 and 9% and would like to stay at that relative position. Mr. Schroeder stated that a 1.76% wage increase gets them to the Stanton figures when you include the extra money that those on single medical coverage receive due to the somewhat unique way we do the City monthly insurance contribution. He stated Staff would recommend staying at roughly what it cost to settle AFSCME. The standard increase needed for the wage package to cost out to 4% is between 2.25% and 2.40%. 2.65% is the average increase right now for Stanton Class 5 Cities but not including steps. The cost for the 2.25% would be approximately $17,000. Ms. McAloney stated that she and Ryan would be meeting with Officers Kuhn and Way next week and asked for Council to give her a percent to work with for settlement. Councilmember Peterson stated he would be in favor of a 2.4% increase. Ms. McAloney stated that 2.4% would equal 4.13% overall including steps and would be comparable to AFSCME's 4.03% settlement. Councilmember Hardin requested some discussion from the Police Department with regard to what community programs are being planned for 1994. Mr. Schroeder stated the Department does not expect to be adding any community programs in 1994 but will be adding something in 1995 or 1996. Mayor Gilbenson inquired what kind of increase LELS has received in the past years. Mr. Schroeder reported it's been about 4.5 to 4.7% for a total package cost; therefore, this proposal is at a lower cost. Ms. McAloney inquired if, in general, the other issues were agreed upon. Councilmember Beyer felt that it should be kept pretty equal to AFSCME's settlement. Councilmember Zimmerman stated we cannot give more to one group than another. Ms. McAloney reaffirmed that Council is looking at no more than a 2.4% increase in top patrol. Councilmember Peterson mentioned a flat dollar fee instead of a percent to which Ms. McAloney confmned that we are still at the flat dollar for longevity but equate the increases to 3, 5, 7 and 9%, respectively. ADJOURNMENT Consensus of Council was to adjourn the meeting. City Council Closed Meeting/LELS/January 25, 1994 Page 2 of 3