Employee Advisory Committee (EAC)
Regular Meeting Minutes
December 13, 2016
Mayor’s Conference Room @ 9:00 a.m.
APPROVED
The meeting was called to order @ 9:01 a.m.
1. ROLL CALL
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Gregg Stallings - I.T.
Sir Allen (Chew) – Wastewater Collection
David Rolando – Solid Waste Collection
Jonathan Stone – Planning
(@ 9:02am) Lindsay Tate – Police Records
Jeanie Wheeler – Parks & Recreations
Melissa Zermeno – Equipment Maintenance
(@ 9:03am) Michael Swanson – Streets
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTHERS PRESENT:
Chase Massie – HR Director
Jerry Ihler – City Manager
Doug Wells – Councilmember
Courteney Cacho - City Manager’s Office
(@ 9:11am) Brandon Brierton - Streets
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MEMBERS ABSENT:
Britt Hubbard – Sewer
Scott Golden – MPWTP
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. MINUTES
A) Approval of minutes for November 8th.
Motion to approve minutes by David Rolando with a second by Sir Allen Ayes: Stone, Stallings, Wheeler, Zermeno, Swanson,
Rolando, Tate, Allen Nays: None Motion carried.
3. OLD BUSINESS
A) Health Plan Review Report
Massie said it’s still maintaining around a negative (500,000) five hundred thousand. Stallings asked if there was anything trending wise.
Massie answered we should be trending down slowly. He wouldn’t be surprise if we are a little more negative this month because the City had
to pay a reinsurance fee of about (15) fifteen, ($16,000) sixteen thousand dollars. This was the City’s last year to pay it. The reinsurance fee is
used to help fund the health exchange which is a federal requirement.
B) Chapter 17 Discussion
Stallings said with Chapter (17) seventeen the Committee can go to the City Manager with suggestions to change it. Golden had mentioned
the mandatory (2) two hour overtime which was (1) one of the changes. Stallings asked Ihler what time of year would the EAC need to gather
up the recommendations for changes and meet to discuss it with him. Ihler answered by January (31st) thirty-first.
C) Employee Evaluations & Step Increases
Stone said he had someone approach him about employee evaluations and step increases. If an evaluation is late and you are due a step increase
that addition money is put onto your check to make up for it. This employee noticed it bumped him up to the next tax bracket and it’s costing
him money out of his check which wouldn’t normally be taken out if the step increase had happened on time. The idea was to make the step
increases automatically happen unless the evaluation is turned in with a poor evaluation. Zermeno asked what if it’s a negative evaluation and
the City bumped them up anyway. What if they weren’t approved for that increase, do they have to pay it back? Stone answered the employee
shouldn’t have to pay it back because the evaluation isn’t their responsibility. They shouldn’t be punished for something that’s not their fault.
Tate said she was given a step increase she had to pay back and it was almost her whole check. The City took it back right away. Swanson said
if you are denied the step increase on your evaluation but it gets put in (30) thirty days after your automatic step increase has gone into effect
then you would have to pay back the difference. Stone said that would have to change in order for this to go into effect. Wheeler said
sometimes when there is a negative evaluation they’ll put off the step increase for (90) ninety days. If the supervisor sees they improved within
(90) ninety days the employee will get a step increase plus retro. Ihler said there’s no retro. Zermeno said she had someone come to her with
questions. For example July (1st) first the City is going to approve step increases for this year. Zermeno asked what if there’s a freeze in
December. Who gets the step increase? Wheeler answered those due between July and December. Zermeno asked do the others bump up a
level once it’s approved again. Rolando answered it goes year by year. Ihler said he is not aware of the City having a step increase freeze after it
was approved at the beginning of the budget year. Stallings said there are (2) two things being discussed, employee evaluations and step
increases. The evaluations are being discussed because the evaluations are late. He would suggest setting a date for the evaluations and having
them done by a certain time.
1
Employee Advisory Committee (EAC)
Massie said there were a lot of supervisors who thought since the employees weren’t going to get a step increase they didn’t need to do an
evaluation. There were a lot of evaluations that weren’t done or that were done considerably late. Now we are catching up. When his office
was trying to catch up on things the City had (20) twenty divisions who were at least (3) three months late and now the City is down to (2)
two. The message is getting out there that they need to get it done in a timely manner. If they can take the time to do the PAF you would think
they would take the time to do the evaluation. The focus needs to be getting the evaluations done in a timely manner, within (30) thirty days.
Stone asked if anything could be done with the extra taxes applied if you are bumped to the next tax bracket with the back pay from the step
increases that are late. Could it be put into a separate check? Massie answered the problem is running additional payroll for (1) one or (2) two
people almost consistently. Right now we literally have (1) one person doing it. With this suggestion they would be running payroll nonstop
throughout the month. He doesn’t want this for his staff which wouldn’t be feasible. If the City goes to an online system, which we are
anticipating, it may get considerably easier. Allen said basically HR keeps track of everybody’s evaluations. HR sends it to the directors and
they send it to the supervisors. Massie said once a month we send out a list from the HR office to the directors telling them the employees who
are due evaluations. Once they are over (90) ninety days late, he gets a list of those employees and then he has direct communication with those
supervisors. Stallings said it’s been like this for some time. It didn’t just happen since Massie’s been here. Allen asked if that’s the responsibility
of the employee. Massie answered if he’s an employee and his evaluation hasn’t been done he’s going to say something. There’s nothing wrong
with saying to your supervisor that your anniversary date was last week, we haven’t done my evaluation and can we set up a time to do that.
He would encourage employees to do so because supervisors do get busy.
4. NEW BUSINESS
A) Employee Spotlight Nominations
Motion to nominate Inge Wilson for the Employee Spotlight Award by Jeanie Wheeler with a second by Jonathan Stone
Ayes: Stone, Stallings, Wheeler, Zermeno, Swanson, Rolando, Tate, Allen Nays: None Motion carried.
***Motion withdrawn***
Reinstate Motion to nominate Inge Wilson for the Employee Spotlight Award by Jeanie Wheeler
Motion denied.
Wells said HR use to communicate with some local businesses like hotels. Whoever received the award won a free night or (2) two. Massie
said he would see what they could do.
Motion to nominate Kevin Adams for the Employee Spotlight Award by Michael Swanson with a second by Melissa Zermeno
Ayes: Stone, Stallings, Wheeler, Zermeno, Swanson, Rolando, Tate, Allen Nays: None Motion carried.
B) EAC Group #7 Nominations
Swanson said Ozuna gave his resignation and said he was going to contact Golden last month. Ozuna said he was going to focus all of his time
and energy on the Health Plan Review Committee. Wells said there doesn’t have to be another election. When a position becomes vacant
someone can volunteer for the position and the Committee can select them to continue until the next election. Swanson said he has (1) one
person from that category who would like to volunteer and he’s here at the meeting. Brandon Brierton (Streets). We had a division wide
meeting and Ozuna informed everyone that he was stepping down. Everyone knows the position is open and available. Allen asked if Drainage
and Stormwater knew. Swanson answered they know about it and don’t want to do it. Allen said we need to get the word out to be on the safe
side. Make sure that each division knows there’s an opening. Let’s wait until the next meeting. Stallings said he will get with Golden to make
sure it gets to all of the divisions within that group because there maybe someone who would like to volunteer.
C) Pay Scale
Massie said he met with Golden last week. (1) One of the things Council tasked the administration with last budget year was getting the
starting salaries up. Right now the City’s pay scale goes from GEO1, GEO2, and up. We have a limited number of employees in the GEO1 and
GEO2 grades. The thought would be to eliminate the GEO1 and GEO2 grades so every employee starting with the City of Lawton will at least
start out at a GEO3-A which is ($10.61) ten sixty-one an hour. There’s a number of reasons why this is a good idea. (1) One, we can advertise
working with the City the lowest salary would be ($10.61) ten sixty-one which would get us over ($10) ten dollars an hour. (2) Two, it puts
that much more of a gap in minimum wage and to do this it would cost the City budget just a hair over ($15,000) fifteen hundred dollars
annually. It’s not a huge hit. It helps morale, gives the City a good recruiting tool, and brings up our starting salary for our lowest paying jobs.
Wheeler said might decrease turnover rates too. Massie said we also discussed something that came up last year which the EAC voted
unanimously to support and it was taken to Council but wasn’t passed at that time. We would like to bring it back and Golden said he would
speak on it this time with the potential removal of (6) six month steps. Everyone knows that the budget is really tight. The City is trying to
look at how to continue to offer the same benefits along with step increases without having to go through freezes. (1) One of those things they
are looking at is if this is a potential cost savings measure. When the EAC took it to Council last year he didn’t have the numbers in front of
him at the time. There was a consensus from Council that it was a ($10,000) ten thousand dollar savings not worth taking away from the new
employees. It’s a ($340,000) three hundred forty thousand dollar savings over a (3) three year period. Employees would still get their (5%) five
percent raise in the (1st) first year. They would still go from ‘A’ to ‘B’ in year (1) one. There’s not a lot of employers out there who’ll give (10%)
2
Employee Advisory Committee (EAC)
ten percent in the (1st) first year. We would take the approach not to effect any current employees. There are a number of employees that are in
‘A’ or ‘B’ right now expecting a (6) six month step. If this went to Council and was passed then it wouldn’t take effect until (1) one year from
that date so not (1) one employee would be touched. From an orientation standpoint, anyone hired after that would get their annual step on
their anniversary date. There wouldn’t be a (6) six month step even communicated.
Wells said if you want to do like fire and police then do away with step ‘A’ and make ‘B’ the new step ‘A’. Go a year or (2) two in what’s now ‘C’
in ‘B’. Anyone starting out gets an automatic (5%) five percent pay increase because they are starting in step ‘B’. Massie asked would you make
them stay in step ‘B’ for (2) two years. Wells answered (1) one year. It won’t be a savings but it won’t cost as much. Massie said (1) one affects
current employees and the other doesn’t. Wheeler asked would we still do the (3) three and (6) six month evaluations. Massie answered yes.
Wheeler asked if they can do an evaluation whenever they want. Massie answered they can. The reason for an evaluation is not necessarily to
get steps, it’s just tied together. A (3) three month evaluation is done if you have an employee in that introductory period. We’re not waiting
until (5) five months and (30) thirty days to realize this employee isn’t going to work out. Then when you call HR to terminate he’s going to
ask if you’ve counseled and do they know that they are not performing well. Hopefully you can’t tell him ‘no’ because you’ve done their (3) three
month and it was documented that they weren’t meeting expectations. Wheeler asked if we did ($340,000) three hundred forty thousand
dollars in savings would we still have furlough days. Massie answered he couldn’t answer that but it would go a long way to help something
like that. This is over a (3) three year period assuming we hire the exact number of new employees at the exact grade as we did this year. Year
(1) one it’s only a ($20,000) twenty thousand dollar savings and year (2) two another (91,000) ninety-one thousand. Then at a point it’ll start
to come down because the step increases go from (5) five to (3%) three percent to (2 1/2) two and a half.
Wells said if people keep shopping on the internet that little bit of savings is not going to help. Stallings said there are some employees who
feel it’s not fair to remove the (6) six month step just because police and fire did. The feeling on furloughs is not going to be as complacent as
they have been after the (23rd) twenty-third of December. It hits your pocket rather than a measure done to deal with budget. Stallings asked
where the savings goes and does it stay within our fund. Tate said we have a question about the furlough days at the police department
because we have a lot of overtime. Nobody wants to do overtime right now because of the furlough day coming up which is going to be straight
pay. We have a lot of people sick and we have a holiday coming up which nobody wants to work overtime because it’s like working for
nothing. Ihler answered any savings the City receives will go back into the operational budget. To say that it’s going to guarantee no furloughs,
it all depends on how much water we sell or the internet sales tax. In 2015, the State of Oklahoma lost ($88,000,000) eighty-eight million
dollars to sales tax. Municipalities in Oklahoma lost ($70,000,000) seventy million dollars. How much of that was ours? This year it’s almost
double what it was back in 2015. It just continues due to internet sales. The whole idea of the furlough was the percentage of losing (2) two
days out of the year at (.75%) point seven-five percent which is what each individual lost but this will allow us to get step increases. In those
cases:
Raise
Increase for the Year
5%
3%
2 1/2%
(+) 4.25%
(+) 2.25%
(+) 1.75%
The lowest raise plus a step increase that carries over every year. This is the only way it could be funded. Wells said the City needs to stop
worrying about the employees in step ‘A’ because to them that (6) six month step is important. The Committee members have passed that step
so it’s ok to take it away from the new employees. The Committee is here to represent everybody including the new employees. Wheeler said
she likes starting new employees in ‘B’ step. Offering employees over ($10) ten dollars an hour is a big deal. Ihler said that’s a cost not a savings.
Massie said starting new employees in ‘B’ step isn’t feasible and will be a significant cost to the budget. The point was to do something that
wouldn’t affect any current or potential employees. Wheeler said she has a lot of GEO1 and GEO2 employees in her department. Massie said
the GEO1 and GEO2 is a ($15,000) fifteen thousand dollar cost and he believes it is something the City can figure out. Removing (6) six month
steps and starting all new employees at a ‘B’ step instead of an ‘A’, which is about a (5%) five percent increase per employee, definitely is the
wrong direction. Ihler said our turnout has been over a (100) hundred. Massie said (22%) twenty-two percent.
5. COMMUNICATION/DISCUSSION
* Massie said Golden wanted to bring forward a discussion to the EAC, almost like a negotiation, for Veterans Day to be the (7th) seventh hard
holiday. In the past there had been discussions about flex and hard holidays. Since we are a military community and LPS is closed leaving a lot
of parents trying to figure out childcare for that day could that be where the savings be used. Instead of adding a holiday we would be adding a
benefit to all current and new employees. This may be a loss of productivity but not as much as a cost impact. He has not spoken with the City
Manager about it. It was just something Golden and he discussed. Stallings said Veterans Day would make the most sense because we live in a
military town. Wells said if you give it to general employees then police and fire will want overtime. Zermeno asked if that was something we
could put together to see the pros and cons money wise. Massie answered he would assume we could pick another holiday, like Christmas,
because it would be a similar situation. Wells asked in place of your (1) one soft holiday or as an additional holiday. Massie answered we could
look at it both ways. Wells said Council would have a hard time with it because there are very few civilian jobs that get the amount of time off
that the City employees do.
3
Employee Advisory Committee (EAC)
* Stone said it was brought up for City employees and their families to have a summer bowling league as a way to get to know each other.
Wheeler said if EAC members would sit with Jack Hanna (Parks & Rec Director) and give him feasible ideas she’s sure Parks and Rec would
work with the Committee.
* Swanson asked does the City have partnership with any of the golf courses in Lawton like we do with difference restaurants for City
employees. There are a lot of employees who golf. Ihler said Jackie Somerlott (HR) went around different businesses to see what discounts
businesses would give City employees. (No one had the answer.)
* Wheeler said, Jack Hanna (Parks & Rec Director) is over the Lake House. He would like the Committee members who are going to work on
it to sit down with not just Jim Bonnarens (Lakes) but Keith Neitzke (Parks Maintenance Supervisor) and himself to plan the Committee’s
layout. Stalling asked what materials were needed because we have people who are willing to donate items. They don’t know what we need
because we don’t have a list. Wheeler answered maybe Hanna, Neitzke, and Bonnarens can help the Committee get the list together because
they know more about the shape it’s in more than anybody. Swanson asked if there was a way to schedule a time like we do with the EAC
meetings to go out and check out the Lake House. Stallings told Wheeler to tell Hanna that’s what the Committee needs. Wheeler said if
Golden would send an email to Hanna, Neitzke, and Bonnarens then there would be a meeting. Stallings said we should target a date to make
it available to be rented. Stallings asked about April (1st) first. The Lake House is falling into disrepair because nobody is keeping it up. Tate
said whenever there isn’t any City employees using it allow the public and charge them a deposit. Wheeler said the City doesn’t get money in
the budget to take care of it because it is only used by City employees. If the City rents it to citizens maybe the money that goes to rent it could
go for the upkeep of the Lake House. They could take it to Council and have it earmarked.
* Stone said the bike trail plan is proceeding rather quickly it’s just getting the money. We have a grant to put a sidewalk on the south side of
the bridge on Gore Boulevard and it’s already been designed. We just have to get the rest of the funds for it. Stallings said the bike trail doesn’t
come to yield revenue whereas camp ground would.
6. ADJOURNMENT
Motion to adjourn by Gregg Stallings and second By Melissa Zermeno. Motion Carried
Meeting Adjourned at 10:27a.m.
4