HomeMy Public PortalAboutM 2012-06-09 - CC_spLYNWOOD CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETING
June 9, 2012
The City Council of the City of Lynwood met in a regular meeting in the Council
Chambers, 11330 Bullis Road on the above date at 8:04 a.m.
Mayor Morton presiding.
Council Members Castro, Rodriguez, Santillan -Bess, Alatorre and Morton were present.
Also present were City Manager Haley, Assistant City Attorney Pam K. Lee, City Clerk
Quinonez and City Treasurer Hernandez.
City Clerk Quinonez announced that the Agenda had been duly posted in accordance
with the Brown Act.
PUBLIC ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
(Regarding Agenda Items Only)
Antonio Munguia asked the Council to keep the safety of the community in mind when
making budget decisions. He stated that he was concerned with the reduction of
deputies. He stated that Block Watch works with the Sheriff's Department as well as
Parking Enforcement and Code Enforcement. He asked that the Council take the Block
Watch coordinator into consideration. He stated that employees would be willing to
make sacrifices before losing their jobs.
Leaonna DeWitt stated that the employees are currently in negotiations with the City.
She asked that the Council think of other ways to save money. She suggested
proposing golden handshakes to those close to retirement age. She stated that any
revenue generating positions should not be cut. She stated that everyone needed to
work together instead of just cutting positions.
Leslie Simon stated that she would have liked to meet with each Council Member prior
to the meeting because she understands that many cities are facing financial problems.
She stated that AFSCME is working with other cities to take a look at their budgets and
find other ways to cut the budget other than cutting line workers. She stated that she
appreciated the Council's decision to cut the assistant city manager at the top. She said
that it is important to work with the correct numbers when you are talking about layoffs
and concessions. She said that the union is willing to give concessions to save jobs but
she would like clarification from staff regarding increased property taxes and the
decrease in the Sheriffs Department contract. She stated that the union has asked for
financial information from the City but have not yet received it.
Lee Wax stated that he was the AFSCME union representative and he looked forward
to working with the Council to save jobs. He stated that his work in Compton led to the
building of a coalition to avoid bankruptcy. He stated that the employees in Lynwood
are very much needed because they provide public services. He asked that the Council
consider the union as an asset because of their experience in finding solutions in other
cities. He asked the Council to feel free to utilize the union.
Olivia Segura stated that she has worked for the City for six years and she enjoyed the
opportunity to work for the Lynwood community. She commented on the different
projects she has worked on and how she has appreciated serving the community
through each project. She stated that she thinks of herself as a public servant and
recognized that the Council had hard decisions to make. She pointed out that the
savings from cutting her position which was detailed in the staff report include the total
cost and not her take home pay.
Lorene Reed stated that she was very disappointed to come to the end of another fiscal
year where employees are on edge about their jobs. She said that something is wrong
and though cuts need to be made, the wrong cuts are being proposed. She expressed
her support for the employees and for their new union. She stated that the City needed
to do whatever was necessary to avoid layoffs in the current economy. She agreed that
some of the administration jobs should be cut and she commented on the problem of
reduced hours in the Recreation Department. She commented on the style of
budgeting the City currently uses and asked the Council to move to program based
budgeting. She offered budget solutions such as golden handshakes, furloughs, a
hiring freeze, and moving the Fourth of July to July third to save 50% of the cost. She
stated that some administrative layoffs are needed and that managers could not
manage from behind their desks. She asked the Council to recess the meeting, go
back and work to avoid layoffs and come back with more viable solutions.
Sylvia Ortiz applauded the Council for their decision to remove Bob Torrez. She stated
that cutting employees meant cutting services for the community. She commented on
the pride that goes along with a City job and how that is important for the community.
She asked the Council to start their clean up at the top with the department directors,
some of which she said, disrespected the employees and the residents. She asked the
Council to start working together and to consider the people who are already suffering.
Paulette Bradley asked the Council to think carefully about letting experience go
through the proposed layoffs. She stated that without the experience the quality of work
will go down greatly. She cautioned that employee morale is down from fatigue with no
end in sight. She asked that Council hold on to the people who can do the job because
those people are the ones with the skills and qualities that a small organization needs.
She stated that the community services had been decreasing even before the current
fiscal crisis. She pointed to the lack of oversight by management as one of the main
problems. She said that the condition of the City is deplorable and she asked the
Council to keep the best people.
Jaime Flores stated that he has lived and worked in Lynwood for 21 years and that he
has seen a lot of changes over the years. He said that the workers do not have the
proper equipment to do their job and then their jobs get contracted out but the
employees who get laid off do not get hired by the contractors. He stated that the
Council blames the employees for not completing the alley pick up but the reality is that
the employees are not properly equipped to do their job and that is the Council's fault.
Marvin Aceves stated that trash and graffiti is a hindrance on the City, which cannot be
ignored any longer because it stifles business growth. He stated that it did not make
sense to fire the people who do the work. He stated that employees did not worry about
the loss of COLA or merit increases because they had their benefits yet now those are
under attack as well. He stated that he works on the two person work crew that is in
charge of 178 alleys over a span of 4.4 miles and that he takes offense to the people
who say that they are not doing their job. He stated that without the proper equipment
and without enough employees, the job cannot be done. He asked the Council for their
support to let employees do their job.
Ana Maria Barraza stated that she has been a Lynwood resident since 1988 and that
she was in agreement with the people who spoke before her. She stated that the City
should not cut personnel when it is in such a deplorable and filthy situation. She
suggested that the Council start their cuts at the top with the manager's positions or that
they cut hours instead of employees. She asked the Council to take into consideration
what will happen to the people that will lose their jobs.
Natalia Medina asked the Council to look into the cost of consultants. She stated that
the Lynwood Employees Association asked the Human Resources Department about a
consultant going back and forth from public works to the yard and that now that
consultant is the Interim Risk Manager. She stated that the Council does not know the
underhanded things that their management staff does and she asked how they can
justify that.
Mary Fuller stated that the Senior Center only wants the Senior Services Manager to be
re- filled, but that no other positions are being requested. She stated that the seniors are
just asking for a qualified Senior Services Manager.
Harry Gibbens stated that he was concerned about laying off City employees and
suggested that the City instead offer a reduction of hours during non peak times. He
stated that if employees are laid off then they will have to collect unemployment
benefits, which also affects the City. He asked that people volunteer without pay to help
the community.
Monica Ochoa stated that she did not understand why so many cuts were being
proposed yet a new position was added to the Finance Department about four months
prior. She suggested that if cuts are necessary, that the Council start with the new
position that just came in.
Susan Cortez stated that her hours as a Recreation employee are very low and she
only works ten hours a week. She stated that if it were not for her significant other, she
would not have a roof over her head. She stated that the Recreation Department works
with the youth and the seniors and they do a lot for the community and she asked the
Council to take that into consideration.
Anthony Perez commented on the working conditions in the public works yard. He
stated that sometimes employees come in and have no vehicles to use, and that
employees fight for machinery, trucks and equipment. He stated that the employees
need the proper equipment in order to do their job. He stated that the City does not
need contractors but instead it needs to equip their employees properly so they can get
the job done.
It was moved by Council Member Castro, seconded by Mayor Pro Tern Alatorre and
approved by general consent to close the public hearing
Mayor Morton stated that the Council would be making their decisions based on what is
best for the City and so that the City can run more effectively. He said that the Council
would try to save as many jobs as possible but that a lot of creative work needed to be
done. He repeated that the Council does not want layoffs and that some department
heads would get additional work with no extra pay.
Council Member Castro stated that she was pleased with the steps the City took in her
absence. She assured the audience that she heard what they said loud and clear. She
stated that she was glad the employees joined the AFSCME union and she hoped that
they would exercise their rights as employees to file complaints and grievances if
necessary. She stated that the City received funds for vehicles some time ago and that
she was disappointed in the department director for ignoring the need. She stated that
she has ideas she would like to recommend and that she welcomes communication
from employees. She stated that she recognizes that the City is not bottom heavy and
that the City needs the employees in order to keep the City clean and to provide
services for residents. She stated that the City is middle management heavy and
suggested that they focus on solutions to that. She thanked everyone for their patience
in her absence.
Mayor Pro Tern Alatorre welcomed Council Member Castro back and congratulated her
on her newborn babies. He recommended that the union bargainers speak up for the
employees if the employees feel too intimidated to do so themselves. He stated that he
is a state employee as well as an elected official so he understands both sides of the
aisle. He stated he was happy to be there to do the best he could to make the decisions
based on the little information Council is given. He assured everyone that if any
mistakes are made, they will be corrected at the mid -year budget review. He requested
that any employees who are reassigned do their job and make the Council proud. He
directed employees to complain and file grievances if necessary when managers are
restricting employees from doing their job. He stated that the Council receives
complaints from residents every day and that the reason he ran for the City Council was
to keep the City clean, progressive and business friendly. He said that the Council does
the best they can with the information that they have. He encouraged everyone to call
him for a confidential meeting.
Mayor Morton reiterated that the Council was working very hard to keep from laying
anyone off. He reminded everyone that the Council's interest is in all of the employees
because they are a part of the Lynwood family.
NEW /OLD BUSINESS
Item #6. FY2012 -2013 BUDGET WORKSHOP
City Manager Roger Haley introduced the FY2012 -2013 Budget Workshop. He stated
that no decisions would be made during the workshop and that one department head
would not be in attendance due to his graduation from college. He noted that the last
page of the staff report shows the estimated cost savings of salaries and benefits
combined, which does not reflect employee take home pay. He stated that each
department would be presenting their proposed budget along with their proposed cuts.
He stated that the City has had tremendous budget cuts for the last five years and this
year he had to cut $2 million in expenditures to balance the budget.
City Treasurer
The City Treasurer, Edwin Hernandez, gave his presentation for the City Treasurer's
Office.
City Clerk
The City Clerk, Maria Quinonez, gave her presentation for the City Clerk's Office.
City Attorney
The City Manager, Roger Haley, gave the presentation for the City Attorney's Office.
City Manager
The City Manager, Roger Haley, gave his presentation for the City Manager's Office.
Council Member Castro recommended that the unused City Council travel funds be
used to purchase equipment for the Public Works Department.
City Manager Roger Haley stated that he would provide Council with a list of critical
missing equipment by the next City Council meeting.
Council Member Rodriguez recommended that each council member's travel budget be
reduced from ten thousand to six thousand dollars.
Council Member Santillan -Bess asked the City Manager to provide the City Council with
the lump sum of each of the Council Members current travel budgets so that they can
decide what they want to do with the left over money.
Council Member Castro recommended the elimination of all car and media allowances
to all at will employees and for all individuals who can use a city vehicle to do city
business.
Council Member Castro also recommended an immediate hiring freeze with no
discretion for one year, as well as a review of all of the positions hired within the last
year to ensure the need for that position. Additionally, she recommended no pay
increases for the next year or two to generate savings, and cash in lieu of benefits to be
negotiated with the bargaining units.
Council Member Santillan -Bess recommended that vacant position be filled through
internal recruitments when there are qualified candidates available for the position
within the organization. She also recommended that the City Manager bring an agenda
item before the Council if there is a need to fill a position.
Mayor Pro Tern Alatorre asked for a review of all employees with City paid cell phones.
He stated the need to look into whether or not they really need them and look into the
possibility of an allowance or reimbursement to employees for using their personal cell
phones.
Mayor Morton agreed with Mayor Pro Tern Alatorre and added the recommendation to
look into the use of radios for communication amongst staff. He asked for a list to be
provided to the Council of all the employees that have a city issued cell phone.
Council Member Castro clarified that all of the recommendations given during the
budget workshop were directions for the budget office to include in the next budget
proposal.
Council Member Santillan -Beas recommended the approval of the 2012 — 2013
employee budget count for the City Manager's Office.
Council Member Castro clarified that the Council approved the recommendations for the
City Manager, City Treasurer and City Clerk.
Human Resources
The Director of Human Resources, Alfredo Flores, gave his presentation for the Human
Resources Department.
Council Member Castro recommended renegotiating the Human Resources Director's
contract to include the duties of Risk Manager. She also recommended the removal of
the Office Assistant 11 position from the reduction list.
Mayor Pro Tern Alatorre asked for a report of the day to day activities of the temporary
employee in the Human Resources Department, as well as a report of the requirements
for the employee to have entered the Human Resources Department.
Council Member Castro clarified that page 175 of the proposed budget was incorrect
and the correct reduction should be from five to three employees. She also clarified her
direction to add the Risk Management duties to the Human Resources Director's duties,
not to add Risk Manager to his title, and to eliminate the Risk Manager position but to
keep the Office Assistant II position.
Finance and Administration
The City Controller, Amanda Roberson, gave the presentation for the Finance and
Administration Department.
Council Member Castro recommended that the Assistant City Manager /Finance Director
position be eliminated and that a Finance Director be recruited. She also recommended
that any other Assistant City Manager positions be eliminated. She recommended that
the City Manager be given discretion to appoint any department head as the interim City
Manager when needed. Lastly, she recommended that the Parking Enforcement
Division be moved to the Public Relations Department.
Mayor Pro Tern Alatorre recommended that the City Treasurer's Office participate with
the Finance Department at the end of the day to observe when the reconciliation of
counting the money takes place, at the discretion of the City Treasurer.
Council Member Castro recommended that the Budget Committee policies include the
requirement that the City Treasurer be part of the Budget Committee.
The Assistant City Attorney Pam K. Lee stated that she would look into whether or not
the Council could allow the City Treasurer to be part of the annual budget committee.
Council Member Castro and Council Member Rodriguez recommended that the two
vacant part time parking control positions be filled.
Development Services
The Director of Development Services, Jonathan Colin, gave the presentation for the
Development Services Department.
Council Member Castro recommended no layoffs of any part time or full time Code
Enforcement Officers.
Council Member Rodriguez recommended not eliminating the Business License
Specialist position and moving the Business License Division under the City Clerk's
Office and assigning someone in the City Clerk's Office to oversee Business License.
The Assistant City Attorney Pam K. Lee cautioned that if the two Business License
Specialists were to be moved to the City Clerk's Office, additional supervision would be
needed and an additional management position must be added.
After discussion by the Council, Council Member Rodriguez directed the City Manager,
the City Clerk and the Development Services Director to get together to discuss the
logistics of the proposed move.
Council Member Santillan asked that the City Manager's input be considered regarding
the Business License Division move to the City Clerk's Office and the Parking
Enforcement Division move to the Public Relations Office.
Council Member Castro recommended against layoffs in Business License or Code
Enforcement.
Council Member Santillan -Beas recommended merging the Planning Associate and the
Building and Safety Manager.
Public Works
The Director of Public Works, Dan Ojeda, gave the presentation for the Public Works
Department.
Council Member Castro recommended changing the engineer job titles to job titles that
match the actual job duties of Public Works employees and to have a study of the entire
Department to ensure that each position matches their job description and that each
position can progress within the Department.
Council Member Castro recommended making the incomplete trash audit a priority. She
recommended major restructuring within the Public Works Department. She asked for a
list of the staff positions that could do the work of the contractors and consultants in the
Department.
Council Member Rodriguez asked for a report on the employees claim regarding the
lack of proper equipment.
Mayor Pro Tern Alatorre recommended reorganization as to how employees are
directed every day. He also recommended the reassignment of responsibilities if
necessary.
Mayor Morton asked for a report on how much it would cost to bring all the equipment
up to date.
Public Relations
The Director of Public Relations, Deborah Jackson, gave the presentation for the Public
Relations Department.
Council Member Castro recommended not eliminating the two Public Relations
positions. She recommended changing the graphic intern position to a position that
works on marketing the rental of City facilities.
Council Member Castro stated that she disagreed with any cuts to Public Safety,
especially to the COPS team.
Mayor Pro Tern Alatorre recommended that the Sheriff's Department assist the City with
other municipal duties that relate to parking enforcement when they can. He
recommended that the Sheriff's Department incorporate the Lynwood Municipal Code.
Mayor Pro Tern Alatorre also recommended looking at other options for Animal Control
services.
Community Development
The Director of Community Development, Sarah Magana - Withers, gave the Community
Development Department presentation.
Mayor Pro Tern Alatorre asked for a report of the duties of the staff in Community
Development.
Council Member Santillan -Bess recommended that the Community Development
Department key players have an initial meeting on new businesses in the City so that
the proposed business owners know what the City's requirements are.
Council Member Castro asked for a review of how the Deputy position will be covered
and if it is eliminated and how the elimination will affect the City and if it can be
contracted.
Community Services and Parks and Recreation
The Deputy Director of Community Services and Parks and Recreation, Jose Trejo,
gave the Community Services and Parks and Recreation presentation.
Council Member Castro recommended the elimination of the vacant positions and
directed that the Facilities Manager position not be added. She also recommended
against reducing staff hours and directed that the Department stop hiring extra workers.
She asked for a serious conversation with the sports programs regarding funding for
their expenses. She asked that staff utilize the City's partnership agreements with the
school district better. She stated that she was against cutting the Fourth of July event
or the Christmas parade.
Mayor Morton recommended that the snack bar at the park be run by the City and have
the proceeds go to the City. He also recommended that the Department add $4,000 to
their budget for Special Needs Day.
Council Member Rodriguez recommended renting the snack bar to the sports
organizations.
City Manager Roger Haley asked Deputy Director Jose Trejo to prepare a green memo
regarding the security guard schedule.
Mayor Pro Tern Alatorre asked that the park security change their routes when driving
from one park to another. He also had concerns about the overtime being charged by
park security and recommended that someone supervise the park security.
Mayor Pro Tern Alatorre recommended that current recreation employees be given
more hours instead of hiring new employees. He recommended not cutting the part time
employees. He stated his concerns about the rental fees being too low for some of the
facilities and recommended that the costs should be sufficient to cover the costs of the
City's expenses. He also recommended not adding any additional management
positions.
Council Member Santillan recommended not eliminating movies in the park.
Council Member Rodriguez recommended against providing financial assistance to
students that make requests to council for school travel.
Mayor Pro Tern Alatorre recommended that departments stay away from contracting the
services of employment agencies to fill vacancies instead of adding hours to employees
that are part timers.
Mayor Pro Tern Alatorre also recommended that a quarterly report be provided to the
City Council of those contracts approved by the City Manager to employ contractors for
departments. He recommended ending practice of contracting with employment
agencies and asked that department heads not go around the policies to hire someone.
CITY COUNCIL ORAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
Council Member Rodriguez thanked everyone for attending. He commented on the
difficulty of the budget process. He stated that this year's budget is the most difficult so
far because the City's depleted savings. He thanked the City Manager and the
department heads for.their work on the budget. He stated that if the City continues on
the current path it will be in a two million dollar deficit and in three years it will not be
able to pay the employees. He asked the audience to bear with the Council as they try
their best to make decisions on their behalf.
Council Member Castro thanked everyone for attending. She asked that every
recommendation given by the Council be included in the next proposed budget at the
June 19 City Council meeting and that the proposed budget be finished and given to
Council before Thursday so that they have time to review it. She added that any
changes would be made by Council on the dais on the 19 She asked that the City
take a hard look at the Public Works and Parks and Recreation Departments. She
commented on the idea to have a competition to ask employees where the biggest
savings are. She stated that she was happy to hear realistic suggestions from the City
employees and she encouraged them to take advantage of their rights and to utilize the
union's services to their fullest extent.
Mayor Pro Tern Alatorre thanked everyone for attending and expressing their opinions.
He commented on the difficulty of the budget process and expressed his desire to save
jobs. He asked that the employee union propose savings, if they see them, that any
circumventing of city policy be reported and that they speak up on various issues. He
commented on generating revenue for the City and the recommendation to bring on
board a deputy that would specialize in commercial vehicle enforcement. He suggested
that if someone is hired for this position there should be some negotiation as to how
long the City can keep an employee after they have been hired and trained because of
the position's specialty. He commented on auditing in the City and stated that there was
money the City could go after. He offered an idea to form an ad hoc committee
consisting of a couple of council members and others to complete the current audit.
Mayor Morton thanked everyone for attending. He commented on the serious issues
involved with the budget and he expressed his hope that the employees understand that
the Council has to make decisions that will impact the employees now and also in the
future. He stated that the budget committee had a lot of work to do to incorporate the
Council's recommendations. He asked that staff look into grants to get LED street lights
installed in the City to save on electricity bills. He stated that City services at the parks,
the senior center, through Public Works and Development Services and the rest of the
departments, are very important. He stated that a big box retailer in the City would
create sales tax as well as jobs for the community.
ADJOURNMENT
Having no further discussion, it was moved by Council Member Castro, seconded by
Council Member Rodriguez, and carried to adjourn the special Lynwood City Council
meeting at 1:29 p.m.
r
Morton, M yor
Maria Quinonez, Cify Clerk