City Council OKs measure to keep employee benefits

By Ralph Pokorny

Nevada Daily Mail

Tuesday night the Nevada City Council gave preliminary approval to a budget amendment that will cut about $33,000 from the 2006 budget to let the city retain the employees' health insurance and merit raises.

"To continue with the merit increases and health insurance we need to cut some benefits," Harlan Moore, interim city manager, said Tuesday night.

Moore said that he has identified a number of benefits that can be cut including longevity payments of $60 during an employees first year plus an additional $20 for each additional full year of employment; a $260 annual payment to a flex account, that will not be renewed in 2007 and the use of Chamber Bucks to compensate for unused sick leave.

Some of these things were identified as questionable in the state's petition audit conducted in 2004, he said.

Most of these payments were made just before Christmas, he said.

"This was a very difficult decision for me to make," Moore, who has had to make a number of difficult decisions during his five-month tenure as city manager, said.

In August the council approved about $260,000 in budget cuts at Moore's recommendation to meet a budget shortfall. These cuts eliminated about 30 positions, some of which were vacant at the time of the cuts. In 2007 these cuts will reduce city expenditures by about $780,000.

In other business the council:

* Accepted the low bid of $5,163.75 from Brenntag Mid-South, Inc., Springfield, for 45,000 pounds of membrane grade sodium Hydroxide 50 percent.

* Voted 3-1 to not pass a general ordinance allowing political activity by city employees. This would have permitted city employees to run for non-partisan, non-municipal offices that did not conflict with their city job. Bill Edmonds, Russ Kemm and Jim Rayburn voted no and Dick Meyers voted yes.

* Voted 4-0 to pass on first reading a special ordinance approving a service agreement with Accupay APS, L.L.C. to handle the city's payroll, as well as to generate employees' W-2 forms.

The cost to the city will be $200 per pay period plus $2.75 per W-2. Interim city manager Harlan Moore said that it currently takes one city employee more than one week to handle payroll duties. With the cutbacks in staff at city hall, that time could be used for better purposes.

* Voted 4-0 to pass on first reading a special ordinance, setting April 3, 2007, as the date for the annual municipal election. This year, one seat, currently held by Jim Rayburn, is up for election and if more than two candidates file, a primary will be held on March 6. The filing period for the election will run from 8 a.m., Nov. 24, to 5 p.m., Dec. 19.

* Voted 4-0 to pass on second reading a general ordinance that will add handicapped parking spaces at the Crowder College facility and to remove the two-hour parking limit on Cherry Street between Ash and Adams streets.

* Passed on second reading a special ordinance changing the zoning at 1207 S. Main St. from M-1, light industrial, to C-3, commercial, to allow the property owner to live on the property. City code does not allow people to live on property zoned M-1.

* Voted to approve a taxi license for Larry W. Kirkendoll.

* Passed on first reading an ordinance changing the city's procedure for obtaining engineering and architectural services to give the city council a larger role in the selection process.

* Passed on first reading a general ordinance making court costs charged by the Municipal Court consistent.

* Passed on first reading a special ordinance accepting a temporary construction easement for lots 2 and 3 of the Cherry Creek addition from James A. and Barbara A. Labitska.

* Passed on first reading a special ordinance accepting a temporary construction easement for part of lot 3 of the Cherry Creek addition from Jerry W. and Priscilla A. Wait. trustees of the Jerry W. Wait & Priscilla A. Wait Revocable Living Trust.

* Passed on first reading a special ordinance accepting a temporary construction easement for part of lots 8 and 9 of the Cherry Creek addition from Mike and Jane J. McKinney.

* Held a public hearing on the city's Taxi Coupon Program.