The city manager who recommended 36 layoffs won’t have to sit at
the table during Hollister’s negotiations over the next five months
with union groups that have been highly critical of him.
That’s because the City Council on Monday hired an outside
consultant to act as Hollister’s chief negotiator during the
legally required talks.
On Jan. 28, the Council approved the
”
reduction in force
”
(RIF) plan
– which stands to lay off the fire chief and many other senior
officials. City Manager Dale Shaddox recommended the plan to make
up for projected budget shortfalls that would eventually drain the
city’s General Fund savings.
The city manager who recommended 36 layoffs won’t have to sit at the table during Hollister’s negotiations over the next five months with union groups that have been highly critical of him.
That’s because the City Council on Monday hired an outside consultant to act as Hollister’s chief negotiator during the legally required talks.
On Jan. 28, the Council approved the “reduction in force” (RIF) plan – which stands to lay off the fire chief and many other senior officials. City Manager Dale Shaddox recommended the plan to make up for projected budget shortfalls that would eventually drain the city’s General Fund savings.
Between now and the July 1 implementation date, city management must “meet and confer” with represented employee groups. City Attorney Elaine Cass said every employee group, even those without a union, will get a chance to talk.
Renee Mayne – a former general manager for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) that represents 70 city employees – was hired for $90 per hour. But the Council added a condition: If her bill exceeds $9,000, a report would be brought back to the City Council.
City Attorney Elaine Cass said she believes the bill will not exceed $10,000. Funding for the services will come from her office’s budget.
Mayne won’t make final decisions, though, as proposals from the union’s side will be taken back to Shaddox – who will then hand them off to the Council for a decision, Cass said.
“So there is a chain of communication,” Cass said, “and a good chain of communication.”
Officials believe Mayne’s experience on the union side, coupled with later work as a deputy county administrative officer for Monterey, make her ideal for the job.
She worked for SEIU from 1991-1995 and the County of Monterey from 1995-1999, according to a Council staff report.
“It’s in the city’s best interest to bring in a person from the outside who has actually sat on both sides of the table,” Cass said.
A representative from SEIU, Joel Hill, spoke during public comment of the meeting Monday and criticized the proposal before its approval.
He said Mayne has a reputation for running up expenses. He also pointed out the State Mediation and Conciliation Service performs impartial negotiations at no cost.
“Any expenditure that she or anyone else would make,” Hill said, “there are services out there that can be provided for free. Why not look at those first?”
Cass said the city is fortunate to get someone with Mayne’s ability and compassion for both sides.
The three Council members who attended Monday’s meeting supported the idea but remained cautious about costs. Pauline Valdivia, Robert Scattini and Mayor Tony Bruscia were in attendance. Brian Conroy and Tony LoBue were not.
Valdivia asked for a “ballpark” number of hours needed to negotiate. But that is unknown, Shaddox said, with the process being a new one for Hollister.
Above all, Scattini said he wants Mayne to have an open mind.
“My main goal is that we work in fairness and honesty and give it our best shot,” he said.
In other business:
The Council gave a go-ahead to approach the state water board and request exceptions to the building moratorium for constructions of Fire Station No. 2, San Benito High School’s expansion and a Hazel Hawkins Hospital Surgical Center.
It’s the same Regional Water Quality Control Board that in September 2002 enacted the cease and desist order, which has disallowed issuance of building permits with new connections to the sewer system. That action has contributed to a faltered local economy.
That penalty – along with potential fines if a series of project deadlines weren’t met – stemmed from a 15-million gallon sewer spill at the city’s wastewater treatment plant in May 2002.
At the time of the water board’s decision, Hollister officials requested – and were turned down for – exemptions for the same projects, according to Public Works Director Clint Quilter.
The board will reconsider the request Friday at their bi-monthly meeting in San Luis Obispo.
Hollister officials are hoping that credibility gained since the sewer spill pains of 2002 will induce the board to allow the connections. Plus, city officials are making a case the connections would not increase wastewater flows. Conservation efforts will be made for each project, according to a staff report.
If the water board declines the request, the other projects could still progress with use of holding tanks until the moratorium ends in late 2005. The city is committed to using that method for the fire station if needed, Quilter said.
