By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
City council members have voted a 10 percent cost-of-living adjustment for the city’s hourly wage employees, modifying a vote earlier this month to set the adjustment at 7 percent.
The new vote was taken during a special city council meeting on the city’s proposed Fiscal Year 2023-2024 budget Tuesday.
At issue was whether the council should approve city administrators’ recommendation for a 7 percent cost-of-living adjustment for the city’s non-exempt, non-civil service workers, who are generally hourly-wage employees, or increase that cost-of-living adjustment to 10 percent, advocated by Mayor Al Arreola.
During a Sept. 11 council workshop on the budget, the council voted 4-1-2 to follow administrators’ recommendation for the 7 percent cost-of-living adjustment. In that vote, Mayor Pro-tem Steve Webb, Councilman J.P. Sanchez, Councilman Jim DeReus and Councilwoman Ernestina “Tina” Martinez voted to follow the 7 percent recommendation, and Arreola voting against it. Councilwoman Alexandra Falcon Calderon and Councilman Jesus Lopez Jr. abstained.
During that workshop, the mayor and several other council members asked staff to look at a 10 percent cost-of-living adjustment and to bring those numbers back before final approval of the budget.
At the start of Tuesday’s budget work session, City Finance Director Alberta Barrett gave a brief summary of the proposed budget.
“On the expense side, the salaries, we proposed a 7 percent COLA (cost-of-living adjustment), as well as a market adjustment for the hourly people or employees only and then 7 percent for the exempt,” she said.
Arreola asked Barrett if she had looked at a COLA increase of 10 percent.
She said she had and noted it would cost the city just over $2 million.
Arreola commented, “I always thought a 9 percent to 10 percent (COLA) would be great. Three percent for everybody else is something that could be accepted. I know that this year we can do this. Next year is going to be a little tougher because we’ve got civil service coming up, and I know we can budget for that next year. To me, it sounds like something that will be something we can attract people and keep what we already have.”
The mayor then spent some time asking questions about the pay grades within each city job.
Calderon indicated she, too, had a question about pay grades and asked specifically about the city’s aerobics instructor position.
Arreola asked additional questions about the pay grades for city custodian positions, which he had also questioned in previous meetings.
After he’d finished his remarks about the custodian pay, the mayor said, “I think it’s still up to this council if we want to do the 10 percent and the 3 percent.”
Sanchez called out, “Mayor, we’ve already voted on the COLA. We had a majority vote, four to one, with two abstaining. We voted to go with the 7 percent across the board. We felt that was fair to all the employees of (the city) of Del Rio and the citizens of Del Rio. I don’t know what it is that you’re trying to do. Who died and made you king that now you want to change the vote? Why is it that you want to change the vote?”
Arreola attempted to interject, but Sanchez continued, his voice rising.
“You’re here to change the vote, and I want to know why,” Sanchez said.
“J.P., J.P., it’s the right of this council to bring it back,” Arreola said.
“We voted. We voted. It was recorded, and we had a four to one vote,” Sanchez said, then repeated, “Who died and made you king?”
Webb jumped into the exchange, saying, “The vote was already cast. I approached several cities during a conference I just attended and asked them when they took a vote, did they bring a vote back for revote until somebody was happy with what they wanted revoted, and they said no; a vote is a vote.”
Arreola said he believed as long as the budget had not been approved, the issue could be revisited.
“The majority stated 7 percent, which is fair across the board,” Webb said.
“You want this,” Sanchez called out.
“It’s not for me, sir, it’s for the public,” Arreola said.
“A certain group of people,” Sanchez said.
“We work for the citizens,” Arreola said.
“It’s here and it’s on the table, and we need to vote on this one tonight,” Arreola said.
“We should not be voting just to satisfy you,” Webb said.
Sanchez then called out, “Ask the attorney,” and Arreola turned to City Attorney Jack Stern and asked, “Can this be redone?”
“Well, I hate to tell everybody, but it probably can be redone,” Stern said.
“I can. It can be redone, and it has no bearings until this budget is approved,” Arreola said, slamming his fist onto the dais.
After additional back-and-forth, Arreola said he also wanted to discuss water charges to areas outside the city limits.
Sheedy said the city is conducting a new rate study and should have the results back in January 2024, and Arreola agreed to defer discussion of the issue.
The mayor then asked if there was a motion on the COLA issue.
Calderon said she still had some questions about the budget and there was an extended discussion about some aspects of the city’s organizational chart printed in the proposed budget.
At the end of that discussion, Arreola said, “The thing is, right now, to really work on our employees.”
“You’re trying to bring employees up to the same level as the supervisors. Do your employees make what you make?” Webb asked.
He added, “Ms. Barrett presented to the council at the last meeting her reasons for why she (recommended) what she did. That is what the city hires her to do, to recommend, based on the numbers, the facts, and present what she believes will make the city function every day of the year. She also has to pay attention to what’s going to happen next year. . . She came to the council with a recommendation of 7 percent, stating this is what the city can do and still operate comfortably. Her recommendation is what we need to rely on to make sure things do function.”
Webb reiterated the council next year will wrestle with pay for police officers and firefighters.
When Lopez asked a question and began to comment “the 10 and 3 (percent COLA) is a fair value,” Sanchez shouted, “Mr. Lopez, are you paying attention? This is a cost-of-living adjustment,” and there was a brief shouting match as several members raised their voices.
Sheedy reminded the council the staff did “a major market adjustment” on city salaries recently and said, “We are absolutely committed to every employee in the city.”
After Sheedy spoke, the mayor told council members, “On this dais, we have to stay professional.”
Lopez made a motion to include a 10 percent cost-of-living adjustment in the budget for the city’s hourly employees and a 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment for salaried employees. Calderon gave the second, and Lopez, Calderon, Arreola and Martinez voted in favor, with Webb, Sanchez and DeReus voting against.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
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NEWS – Council agrees on employee pay raises in workshop – 830Times
