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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 11/03/1980CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 3, 1980 The South Burlington City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, November 3, 1980 at 7:00 p.m. in the Conference Room, City Hall, 1175 Williston Road Members Present Paul Farrar, Chairman; Michael Flaherty, Martin Paulsen, William Burgess, John Towne Others Present William Szymanski, City Manager; Richard Spokes, City Attorney, Richard Ward, Zoning Administrator; Gloria Yandow, Bookkeeper; Albert Audette, Highway Dept.; James Godette, Fire Chief; Don McKenzie, Gil Livingston Meet with City Attorney to review draft of Personnel Rules and Regulations Attorney Spokes said this document, which is the culmination of 5 years of work, contained some new items, some of which might not be appropriate for the city. These should be discussed, however. This document is taken from the present regulations and the 1978 draft. Mr. Spokes noted that who was covered by the regulations needed to be clarified, specifically in the case of appointed city officials. Mr. Spokes said one main concern of his office with the document is the classification system and whether that is suitable for the city. He also pointed out changes in the sick leave definition. Mr. Livingston went through the document with the Council. In the area of who was covered, "appointed officers" was discussed. There are some in the city who work full-time and some who do not. Mr. Livingston suggested that a list be made of people in each category. The city would then list who was covered and who was not. Mr. Livingston said that the provisions of article II did not exist now and he was not sure they were necessary, but they should be considered. Mr. Szymanski said that in the past the city had chosen the doctor, not the employee, when a physical was required. Mr. Livingston said that was fine. Mr. Szymanski asked why every employee should have a physical every 2 years. He was told that it was just something to consider. Mr. Towne came in at this time. Mr. Szymanski pointed out an error in the last sentence of the second paragraph of article IV - re-evaluation takes place after 6 months. Also he questioned on page 10 the prior approval of the Manager for a department head to authorize overtime in excess of 5%, but it was noted that that figure was not concrete, that emergencies were exempt, and that it was 5% of the total man-hours for the department. Article V was just a suggestion. On article VI, Mr. Livingston said the benefit package should be laid out in some detail. In 7.1 3) it was suggested that the word "use" be replaced with "abuse" in reference to "controlled substances". Regarding outside work, it was suggested that wording be added to the effect that it could be done providing that it did not interfere with the employee's duties for the city. It was felt that there should be a definition of "regular employees", and it was noted that this document should agree with policies followed now in the city. The Council saw no reason for a policy requiring employees to live within 10 miles of the city. Mr. Farrar suggested that Council members read through the document and that copies be given to the people involved in the Salary Review Committee who had worked on the 1978 draft. The Council asked for copies of the 1978 draft, so the two could be studied together. Mr. Paulsen also requested the current regulations. Minutes of October 20, 1980 Mr. Flaherty moved to approve the October 20, 1980 minutes and Mr. Burgess seconded the motion. All were in favor. Disbursement orders Disbursement orders were signed. Review draft of amendments to Sign Ordinance Mr. Burgess noted that the Sign Review Board had been deleted in the ordinance and replaced with the Code Officer. Also, as Section 7, an amendment has been added to revise the definition of the word "sign" to cover trucks at a fixed location acting as advertisements. The Council felt the two amendments should be handled separately. Mr. Burgess moved to separate Section 7 from the rest of the document referred to in the Spokes and Obuchowski letter dated October 31, 1980 and ask that these be presented as separate documents, and that a first reading be scheduled for the next regularly scheduled Council meeting. Mr. Paulsen seconded the motion and all were in favor. Review job description of assistant to City Manager Mr. Burgess gave the members a copy of the description he had written. This is only a concept, not a final draft. He felt the job should be for an Assistant City Manager. The person would be a department head and would act on behalf of the Manager when he is absent. The person would be a department head for the administrative portion of the city, excluding Recreation, Highway, Fire, Police, and Water Pollution Control departments, and would include departments not covered by other departments, like bookkeeping, taxes, planning, and perhaps, somehow, the City Engineer, although this may not be possible. Mr. Burgess felt the position would be a business manager for the city and that it would include some duties and responsibilities which do not exist now. He said that he had taken from the Charter some City Manager responsibilities and given them to the Assistant, feeling that since this person would be accountable to the Manager, that would not be a violation of the Charter. He also felt this person should interface between administration and Planning Commission and Zoning Board, and between administration and appointed positions of the Council. The person might also be a personnel manager reporting to the Manager and could be sure that city policies were equally interpreted and applied to all city departments. The person could recommend changes to regulations. He/she would also be responsible for the monthly financial statement given to Council and for all data processing. Mr. Towne disagreed with the concept of this position in that the person's responsibilities would be limited to City Hall itself, although Mr. Burgess noted that that had not been the intent. If requested by the Manager, the Assistant could deal with other departments, such as fire and police, acting as the Manager's representative. Ms. Yandow thought the intent had been to take 1/2 of the Manager's workload off his shoulders, and she did not feel this proposal did that, but Mr. Burgess said he had not intended to cut the job in half. Mr. Farrar asked Mr. Szymanski to look this over and make comments. Mr. Szymanski said another way to do it would be to split the City Engineer and City Manager jobs and he noted that he had submitted a job description at budget time. He was asked to provide copies of that for the Council. Mr. Towne was also asked to put his thoughts on the position on paper. Review Planning and Zoning agendas There were no comments on upcoming agenda items. Old business Mr. Szymanski gave the Council a list of fringe benefits for city employees. It was decided to give 4 weeks vacation after 12 years to all employees. The 8 hours personal leave time given to the police was discussed. It amounts to 1/5 of an average work week and would equate to 11 or 12 hours for the Fire Department, depending on whether their average work week is 56 or 60 hours. It was decided not to credit sick days at the beginning of each year and it was felt that 100 sick days had to be left on the books at all times in order to exchange sick days for vacation days. The Council wanted the policy to be consistent. Mr. Szymanski said the city had agreed to time and a half overtime for the fire department for time worked over their normal work week. This is as of July 1. Comp time was discussed. Mr. Farrar felt that if an employee was eligible for time and a half overtime under the Wage and Hour Act, they should receive time and a half comp time. Mr. Towne asked about progress on the new municipal building. Mr. Burgess said they had a signed contract with Pizzagalli now and that the cost overrun was about $6,000. Mr. Goddette raised some questions on the alarm system. Mr. Paulsen asked about the people not yet connected to the sewer and was told that one case was in court and the City Attorney had been told to pursue the other. The meeting was adjourned at 10:00 p.m. Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.