Minutes 11/25/1975 - Laserfiche WebLink

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256 November 25, 1975 prior to the amendments. The City Manager mecommended that fees be eliminated until cost to administer can be determined; committee be changed to read 5 or more. Motion of Mr. Barnes and seconded by Mr. Early, upon recommendation of the City Manager, the ordinance to be amended, was adopted on first and final reading, and by the following vote: Ayes: Barnes, Early, Elliott, Holley, Oast, Wentz, Davis Nays: None The following reports from the City Manager were presented: 75-515 - "Consideration of an ordinance on first reading to appropriate $75,000 from the capital Improvement Fund for the purchase of new fire apparatus to serve th~ Portsmouth Marine Terminal and West Norfolk industrial area. This item was recommended in the 1975-80 Capital Improvement Program for fiscal year 1976-77. Payment will not be required until late 1976 or early 1977 since scheduled delivery is 14-18 months from date of purchase order issuance. The Planning Commission in their.lette~ recommending the Capital Improvement Program stated that the fire apparatus be ordered in 1975-76 for delivery in 1976-77. This appropriation will enable us to meet this schedule. The City Manager recommends adoption on first reading." On motion of Mr. Barnes and seconded by Mr. Holley, the following ordinance was approved on first reading, and by unanimous vote: "AN ORDINANCE TO APPROPRIATE $75,000 PROM THE CAPITAL IMPROV~ENT FUND FOR THE PURCHASE OF NEW FIRE APPARATUS TO SERVE PORTSMOUTH MARINE TERMINALS AND THE WEST NORFOLK INDUSTRIAL AREA." 75-514 "I submit my recommendation for an appropriation of $970,771 from the unappropr balance of the General Fund for operational costs during the remainder of fiscal 1975~6. The breakdown of the amounts by purpose is shown on Exhibit 1 which is attached for your in~ formation. The first item shown is the request to fund an existing deficit in the Debt Service Fund of $195,671. This is the only fund that closed on June 50, 1975, with a deficit balance. The second item is a request for $207,500 for payments on employees' medical insurance. These funds will be used to meet a 42% increase in premiums for City employees. This increase amounts to $176.18 per employee on an annual basis. There are currently 1,552.employees who are covered by medical insurance. The third item requested in this appropriation is $450,000 for a 2%% general wage increase for all City and school employees, effective January 1, 1976. It was requested that I look into the feasibility of a flat amount increase for each employee in lieu of the general percen- tage increase. Exhibit 2, which is attached, outlines the total dollar increase that each employee will receive in benefits and salary. Even though the general wage increase is a percentage, the flat amount for medical insurance does provide the employees at the lower level a larger net percentage increase. Exhibit 2-A outlining a $20 per month flat amount is included for information. The existing pay schedule provides a valuable matrix and genera] measurement tool. To arbitrarily apply a flat dollar amount salary increase would destroy this usefulness completely. If the relationships in the pay schedule, and accordingly the salary ranges of City jobs, are to be changed it should be on the basis of need. In other words, I would not be opposed to changing this matrix if it were indicated as ares. ult of job revaluations that changed the relationships between jobs. The fourth item requested is $42,600 in additional funds that will be required as the local operating subsidy to Tidewater Transportation District Commission° The estimated subsii was $295 per day and the revised estimate, based on actual costs and revenues, is $584 per day. Exhibit 5, a letter from TTDC, is attached for information. The fifth item included in this request is $60,000 for operating the Recreation Departmer $50,000 is additional revenue that was omitted from the 1975-76 budget in which expenditures were required such as self-sustaining fee classes and supplies and operation of pools. The additional $50,000 which will come from the unappropriated balance is for cost of athletic officials for the remainder of this year. This category was underfunded last year and the estimate was not increased for 1975~76. The final item included in this requested appropriation is $15,000 for funding of our Affirmative Action Plan in the upper management levels of the City. This recommended funding will permit us to create minority intern positions for on-thezjob training within various departments throughout the City. In order to implement our Affirmative Action Plan and enabl~ us to take affirmative steps in recruiting and hiring of minorities in top management, fiscal support is necessary. ated Y Since the number of minorities who are educationally trained and experienced in the fiel( of public administration is limited, it is my recommendation that this program be instituted immediately in order to take the affirmative steps necessary to develop qualified minorities for the top management jobs that become available in our City. Also, there are some minoritiqs currently under intern programs funded by the Federal Government and this recommendation will~ provide an opportunity for these interns to move into funded slots at the expiration of the