The Hoquiam City Council approved a contract with the city’s firefighters last night, but a two-year, no-layoff agreement almost derailed it and left some council members concerned that the city could paint itself into a corner.
Changes in the medical plan and other parts of the agreement create savings of about $112,000, but the accompanying memorandum of understanding on layoffs worried some. In fact, the council initially voted to reject the contract, which had been approved by Fire Fighters Local 315 and city staff, needing only council approval. The contract passed on reconsideration later in the meeting.
“I don’t believe the city intends to lay off anybody, but you can’t tie the city’s hands,” said councilman Greg Grun.
If any council members wholeheartedly supported the contract, they were mum.
And those who took issue mostly were outspoken.
“I’m not really happy with the outcome of the contract,” Councilman Paul McMillan said. “I think many of us are not happy with the outcome, but we went into it bargaining in good faith and with the plan it’ll save us approximately $112,000.”
Councilman Darrin Moir was more direct. “This contract sucks,” Moir said. “As a council person, I’m embarrassed to have this contract out in front of us. I don’t advocate having a no-layoff clause in any contract — it’s a bad business practice.
Councilwoman Jasmine Dickhoff, too, spoke out against the clause. “The no-layoff clause is a slippery slope,” she said.
The new contract included a 1.5 percent raise for 2014 and no raises throughout the next two years. Fire captains would receive a 3 percent bonus, and all firefighters, including retired firefighters, would enter into a new medical plan. A “me-too” clause also was included, guaranteeing any raises given to other employee groups would be given to firefighters.
Through the contract and medical plan, the city would save some $8,000 per month, and the 3 percent raise would be covered through the savings.
In the initial vote on the contract a roll call resulted in a tie. Mayor Jack Durney, who could have cast the tie-breaking vote, was not present for the meeting and the motion failed for the night.
Union local president Doug Stankavich spoke during the communication portion of the meeting. City Manager Brian Shay “noted the net savings were about $8,000 a month on this contract — that’s savings that we brought and it’s savings only we have the ability to offer,” Stankavich said.
Seeing that the fire department received four layoff notices last year and scrambled to make sense of the situation, the no-layoff clause seemed like a simple request, he said.
He then gave the council a dose of information that might have swayed thinking.
“Paperwork for this health care was mailed off today because it needs to be to the trust tomorrow to get started, and that’s not going to happen now even if there is a re-vote because of the tie,” Stankavich said. “That’s $8,000 a month gone.”
Upon return from a five-minute recess, McMillan made a motion to reconsider the contract.
All but Grun voted for the motion. The council then voted again on the contract. This time it was approved 7-3 with Grun, Dickhoff and Moir voting against it.
More budget
Tough budget talks about the firefighters contract ended the meeting and it’s the same way the meeting had begun on Monday — full of tough budget discussions. In the end, the council chose not to pass the budget as it’s been proposed by Mayor Durney, scheduling a budget workshop for next Monday.
Durney has proposed a 4 percent utility tax increase that would bring taxes on sewer, water and storm up from 8 to 12 percent.
“Hoquiam is in quite a bit of trouble money-wise, and this budget doesn’t really do it justice,” Grun said in moving to table a vote on the plan. “We don’t need to pass a budget right at this time.”
When McMillan asked what could be changed, Grun asked if the drug task force was necessary.
McMillan said he’d never get rid of the task force and Police Chief Jeff Myers stepped into the conversation.
Though clearly passionate about the effectiveness of the task force, he calmly explained the benefits of the operation.
“It’s interlocal and it’s been in existence since 1989, and it only exists with the three districts participating,” Myers said. “By looking at it as an easy line item to eliminate, you also will eliminate the drug task force for the Sheriff’s office and the Aberdeen Police Department.”
The task force is necessary, he said.
“There’s no Drug Enforcement Administration office in Grays Harbor County. Many cases have originated or circled through Grays Harbor County.
“If you were to ask me, the drug task force would be so far down the list of things that I would cut that I would find it irresponsible.”
The task force off the chopping block for the moment, Dickhoff reiterated the hard work that went into the mayor’s balanced budget.
“This is not a fluff budget,” Dickhoff said.
Cuts went beyond frivolous spending and already have cut deeply into the requests made by city department heads, Shay said.
“The cuts didn’t come lightly,” he said. “The staff budget was $1 million over budget. The staff’s budget was completely different than the mayor’s, and the mayor’s making many tough decisions and a lot of tough cuts.”
Not only did McMillan move to approve the 4 percent increase, he also amended his motion to include an additional 2 percent to cover the cost of new police cars, an ambulance and repairs to the library roof.
“We’re keeping the police department and fire department, but if they don’t have vehicles, we’re doing ourselves a disservice,” McMillan said.
Moir spoke against McMillan’s motion.
“I would be much more comfortable not raising the 2 percent,” Moir said. “From a business standpoint, we’d be foolish to take any more.”
Grun opposed the original proposed 4 percent increase, and things were back where they started, but now with a coalition standing beside Grun.
Moir moved to postpone both the tax increase and the budget for two weeks and also asked to schedule a budget workshop with department heads at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 17.
After some discussion, Moir’s motion was passed.
Somehow, passing through the council in the only quickly passed budgetary decision of the night was the expansion of non-transport ambulance fees, which had been tabled by Grun during the last meeting.
Each year, the city has some 800 non-transport ambulance calls in which paramedics respond to a call but don’t need to transport someone to the hospital. The fee is $275 per call. Until now, the city has waived the fee if no services were provided and no medical supplies were used. The change in ordinance applies to all ambulance responses.
While total calls at $275 would amount to some $220,000, the city has budgeted for 15 percent of the total call volume, or about $33,000, adjusting for a decrease in calls when the fee is imposed. A roll call vote passed the ordinance 8-2 with Grun and Councilwoman Denise Anderson voting against it.
Other business
• Saturday, Nov. 29, was proclaimed as Small Business Saturday through a proclamation drafted and signed by Mayor Jack Durney.
• City Attorney Steve Johnson issued a report to the council about transient accommodations laws. He believes the city is following the law through its municipal codes.
• Along with Mayor Durney, councilmen Ben Winkelman and Richard Pennant were absent. Dickhoff led the meeting in the mayor’s absence.
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