MONROE - The issue of bonuses for city department heads is taking a back seat for now, but it went reluctantly, with a tie vote of the council and a tie-breaker vote by Mayor Bill Ross.
"I agree, it's a very good idea to thank the employees, but the council is divided," Ross said Tuesday as he voted to postpone the decision.
"But I want it brought up again and not shoved under the table," he added.
The resolution would have dispersed about $10,000 total to 10 department heads as a one-time bonus of two percent of base salary for a job well done. The city's employer contribution costs would have increased that amount by about $4,000.
Outgoing Treasurer and Comptroller Cathy Maurer said she didn't think the department heads were surprised by the council vote.
"They're just hopeful it'll go through next time," she said.
Ross noted "a lot of factors involved" in the decision, as was evidenced by council members' comments before the vote to postpone.
Jan Lefevre motioned to postpone the vote. A member on the Salary and Personnel Committee, Lefevre last week was in favor of the idea to pay out bonuses. She said she has since received phone calls and had read the "sentiments in the paper" which caused her to reconsider the timing of the bonuses. Lefevre motioned to put the vote off until "later, at a more appropriate time."
Charles Koch said his reasons for raising the idea of bonuses at committee level, where he is the chairman, included the lack of salary raises for department heads in the last three years and an increase in work load that came with more stress on the job as department heads were asked to cover duties of personnel who had retired or quit.
Koch voted at council not to postpone the decision, and he was joined by Sara Conway, Thurston Hanson, Reid Stangel and Neal Hunter. Hunter is a member of the Salary and Personnel Committee also.
Lefevre was joined on postponing the council's vote by Tyler Schultz, Chris Beer, Brooke Bauman and Michael Boyce. As members of the Salary and Personnel Committee, Schultz voted against the recommendation and Bauman voted in favor. Beer is an alternate committee member and could not vote on the recommendation last week.
At the council meeting, Schultz reiterated his earlier position not to give bonuses because of an economy that mains sour, but added that giving the bonuses was causing a division among council members and would do so among city employees as well.
Bauman said, while it was "great to thank" the department heads for their work to come in under budget, their employees are also working to help the city come in under budget.
"If this is a thank you bonus, it's not right to thank some and not all," she added.
Stangel made a case for the council members needing to take more time and interest in personnel, at least as much time as they do in non-human aspects of the budget. He said department heads have been given increased responsibilities and work load and performed "above and beyond" their job descriptions. Last week, he urged the committee to consider giving a three percent bonus.
Stangel added that, if the resolution Tuesday were postponed, the council needed to place more consideration on increasing compensation for department heads at the next budget process.
The Salary and Personnel Committee had indicated nine department heads in their recommendation March 13, but Koch asked the council to include Water Department Supervisor Michael Kennison in the bonus considerations after learning Kennison's position and job description had not changed during the recent water and wastewater utility partial merger.
"I agree, it's a very good idea to thank the employees, but the council is divided," Ross said Tuesday as he voted to postpone the decision.
"But I want it brought up again and not shoved under the table," he added.
The resolution would have dispersed about $10,000 total to 10 department heads as a one-time bonus of two percent of base salary for a job well done. The city's employer contribution costs would have increased that amount by about $4,000.
Outgoing Treasurer and Comptroller Cathy Maurer said she didn't think the department heads were surprised by the council vote.
"They're just hopeful it'll go through next time," she said.
Ross noted "a lot of factors involved" in the decision, as was evidenced by council members' comments before the vote to postpone.
Jan Lefevre motioned to postpone the vote. A member on the Salary and Personnel Committee, Lefevre last week was in favor of the idea to pay out bonuses. She said she has since received phone calls and had read the "sentiments in the paper" which caused her to reconsider the timing of the bonuses. Lefevre motioned to put the vote off until "later, at a more appropriate time."
Charles Koch said his reasons for raising the idea of bonuses at committee level, where he is the chairman, included the lack of salary raises for department heads in the last three years and an increase in work load that came with more stress on the job as department heads were asked to cover duties of personnel who had retired or quit.
Koch voted at council not to postpone the decision, and he was joined by Sara Conway, Thurston Hanson, Reid Stangel and Neal Hunter. Hunter is a member of the Salary and Personnel Committee also.
Lefevre was joined on postponing the council's vote by Tyler Schultz, Chris Beer, Brooke Bauman and Michael Boyce. As members of the Salary and Personnel Committee, Schultz voted against the recommendation and Bauman voted in favor. Beer is an alternate committee member and could not vote on the recommendation last week.
At the council meeting, Schultz reiterated his earlier position not to give bonuses because of an economy that mains sour, but added that giving the bonuses was causing a division among council members and would do so among city employees as well.
Bauman said, while it was "great to thank" the department heads for their work to come in under budget, their employees are also working to help the city come in under budget.
"If this is a thank you bonus, it's not right to thank some and not all," she added.
Stangel made a case for the council members needing to take more time and interest in personnel, at least as much time as they do in non-human aspects of the budget. He said department heads have been given increased responsibilities and work load and performed "above and beyond" their job descriptions. Last week, he urged the committee to consider giving a three percent bonus.
Stangel added that, if the resolution Tuesday were postponed, the council needed to place more consideration on increasing compensation for department heads at the next budget process.
The Salary and Personnel Committee had indicated nine department heads in their recommendation March 13, but Koch asked the council to include Water Department Supervisor Michael Kennison in the bonus considerations after learning Kennison's position and job description had not changed during the recent water and wastewater utility partial merger.