[Call to Order]
[Roll Call]
[ ID 25-0221 Human Resources]
[00:22:02]
[00:23:22]
ONE MINUTE, ONE MINUTE.[00:23:58]
ALL RIGHT. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY. TODAY IS TUESDAY, MAY 13TH. THE TIME IS CURRENTLY 415.[00:24:05]
AND WELCOME TO THE SECOND DAY OF THE FY 26 BUDGET HEARINGS. I AM NOT KEVIN CRAMER, AS YOU MIGHT[00:24:13]
TELL. I AM THE VICE CHAIR, MARKUS WINKLER. WE'LL BE JOINED IN A FEW MINUTES BY COUNCILMAN CRAMER. HE HAD ANOTHER APPOINTMENT AND HIS ON HIS WAY. BUT I WILL GET US STARTED TODAY.TODAY'S HEARING IS WITH HUMAN RESOURCES. BEFORE WE START, LET ME JUST DO A QUICK ROLL CALL.
FIRST OF ALL, THIS MEETING IS BEING HELD PURSUANT TO KRS 61.826 AND COUNCIL RULE FIVE A AGAIN, I'M VICE CHAIR MARKUS WINKLER. I'M JOINED IN THE ROOM BY COUNCILMAN PURVIS, COUNCILWOMAN RUBY, COUNCILMAN BACHCHON. COUNCILMAN JOSEPH. COUNCILMAN. BASS, COUNCILMAN LINENGER. AND THAT'S IT FOR NOW. I'M SURE WE'LL BE JOINED BY MULTIPLE OTHER PEOPLE. OUR FIRST HEARING TODAY IS THE HUMAN RESOURCES BUDGET HEARING. WE'VE GOT ERNESTINE BOOTH HENRY, WHO'S THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HR, JOINING US. AND AS A REMINDER, THE DEPARTMENTS WILL NOT MAKE
[00:25:04]
ANY PRESENTATIONS OR OPENING COMMENTS. WE HAVE SENT. EVERYTHING THAT THEY'VE FURNISHED HAS BEEN BEEN FORWARDED TO COMMITTEE MEMBERS. THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET FOR FY 26 IS $7.3 MILLION. DIRECTOR BOOTH, I'M GOING TO START US OFF, YOU KNOW, WITH A QUESTION, AND THEN WE'LL SORT OF OPEN IT UP FOR THE COMMITTEE. FIRST OF ALL, WE'RE ALSO NOW JOINED BY COUNCILMAN PARKER, COUNCILMAN RENA WEBER, COUNCILMAN OWEN AND COUNCILMAN PIAGENTINI. IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, THERE'S A PROPOSED PILOT PROGRAM FOR AN FSA MATCH FOR HALF $1 MILLION. I THINK THAT BASICALLY CONSTITUTES ALMOST THE ENTIRETY OF YOUR BUDGET INCREASE. YOUR BUDGET IS ESSENTIALLY FLAT. I THINK SORT OF COLAS ASIDE, AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS, BUT FUNCTIONALLY IT'S FLAT. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW YOU ANTICIPATE THAT PROGRAM WORKING, WHO'S ELIGIBLE AND JUST HOW THE FSA MATCH WOULD WORK GENERALLY? THANK YOU. I'M NOT SURE THAT MY MIC IS WORKING. I DON'T THINK IT'S ON. OKAY, OKAY. HOLD ON JUST ONE SECOND.CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. THERE YOU GO. YOU MAY JUST WANT TO PULL IT JUST A LITTLE BIT CLOSER. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. VICE CHAIR WINKLER AND METRO COUNCIL MEMBERS. ERNESTINE HENRY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HUMAN RESOURCES. SO THAT 500,000 THAT WE'RE ADDING TO THE BUDGET, WE'RE LOOKING TO USE ROUGHLY 250,000 OF THAT TO SUPPLEMENT THE NEW MATCH FOR FSA, FOR THE DEPENDENT FSA, WHERE YOU CAN CAP AT $5,000. WE'RE LOOKING TO ALLOW EMPLOYEES TO PUT 200 OR 2500 ASIDE, AND THEN METRO WOULD MATCH TO REACH THAT $5,000 CAP BASED ON THE CURRENT PARTICIPATION, THAT 250 WOULD ALLOW US TO MATCH OUR CURRENT PARTICIPANTS. AND THEN THE OTHER PORTION OF THAT WOULD BE FOR US TO MODIFY THE CURRENT CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, WHERE WE CURRENTLY USE THE EARNED INCOME CREDIT TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY. WE'RE LOOKING TO USE A SLIDING SCALE TO OFFER MORE CHILDCARE ASSISTANCE TO THE EMPLOYEES. THANK YOU. SO JUST FOR CLARITY, AND THIS IS PROBABLY MORE OF A TAX QUESTION THAN ANYTHING ON FSA. I KNOW IT'S A $5,000 CAP THAT'S CUMULATIVE BETWEEN EMPLOYER AND EMPLOYEE. IS THAT THAT IS CORRECT. YES. PERFECT.
THANK YOU. YES. YES PLEASE. COUNCILMAN PIAGENTINI, THANK YOU. FIRST OF ALL, DIRECTOR BOOTH, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE THE OTHER DAY. REALLY APPRECIATE IT AND APPRECIATE THE PROMPT RESPONSE. JUST SORT OF FOLLOWING UP ON THIS WHOLE FSA THING, I CAN'T REMEMBER IF WE SPOKE ABOUT IT LAST BUDGET. I KNOW I'VE SPOKEN TO THE DEPUTY MAYOR ABOUT THIS.
I'M ASSUMING SHE BRIEFED YOU ON THE CONVERSATION. IF NOT, I APOLOGIZE. BUT BUT TALKING ABOUT IN THE FUTURE, LIKE CURRENTLY WE HAVE THIS WEIRD THING WITH OUR BENEFIT STRUCTURE WHERE WE HAVE AND I WANT TO MAKE THIS RIGHT. WE HAVE AN FSA. CORRECT? WE HAVE AN HRA, HRA. ONE OF THEM IS EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTED, WHICH IT'S PRETTY BROAD. YOU COULD KIND OF SPEND IT ON ANYTHING. ONE OF THEM IS EMPLOYEE. SO THE CITY CONTRIBUTED. IT IS THE SECONDARY PAYER. AFTER YOU'VE GONE THROUGH YOUR HR YOUR FSA IS FIRST, RIGHT? YEAH. YOU GO THROUGH FSA THEN YOUR HRA KICKS IN. AND I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, THE HRA IS TWO YEARS. THE FSA IS ONE YEAR CORRECT. YEAH. SO IT'S A LITTLE IT'S A LITTLE FUNKY. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE CITY DOESN'T REIMBURSE IS OR TWO THINGS. ONE IS DENTAL OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES AND ONE IS I ANYTHING I RELATED. RIGHT. I DON'T THINK WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO CORRECT THAT IN THIS BUDGET, BUT WE TALK ABOUT HOW WE CAN CORRECT THAT IN THE FUTURE TO BETTER ALIGN THAT BENEFIT STRUCTURE. SO IT'S EASIER FOR EMPLOYEES TO SORT OF NAVIGATE THAT PROCESS. SURE. SO WHEN WE DESIGNED THE HRA, THAT WAS WHEN WE WERE ALSO IN THE PROCESS OF STANDING UP THE WELLNESS CENTER. AND SO WE WERE TRYING TO INCENTIVIZE THAT PARTICIPATION WITH THE WELLNESS CENTER AND TO ENCOURAGE OUR EMPLOYEES TO ELECT THE TWO BENEFIT PACKAGES THAT HAD THE HRA PROGRAM ASSOCIATED WITH IT. THE HRA IS TIED TO MEDICAL ONLY, SO YOUR YOUR MEDICAL EXPENSES AND YOUR PHARMACY EXPENSES CAN BE USED WITH HRA BECAUSE THOSE ARE FUNDS THAT THAT METRO HAS CONTRIBUTED TO, AND THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY PAYING FOR YOUR DENTAL AND VISION. THOSE ARE FULLY FUNDED BY THE EMPLOYEE. SO THEY'RE PAYING FOR THAT OUT OF POCKET. AND SO THAT'S WHY WE ORIGINALLY TIED THE FSA TO THOSE BENEFITS. AS FAR AS THE USE AND
[00:30:06]
THE ORDER IN WHICH THE TWO ARE USED, FSA IS USED FIRST, BECAUSE THAT IS MONEY THAT EMPLOYEES ARE CONTRIBUTING. AND IF THAT MONEY IS NOT USED, THEN IT'S FORFEITED. THEY DON'T GET THAT MONEY BACK. SO THAT'S WHY WE AND WE USE THE ONE VENDOR FOR BOTH OF THOSE SERVICES AND THE FSA.WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED SO THAT THEY DON'T RUN THE RISK OF LOSING THAT MONEY. THE HRA CAN ROLL OVER TO THE NEXT PLAN YEAR. SO WE USE THAT AS A SECONDARY.
AND THE HRA IS STRICTLY FOR PHARMACY AND MEDICAL. THE FSA IS FOR ALL OF THE ABOVE. SO PHARMACY, MEDICAL, DENTAL AND VISION. WITH THE FSA CURRENTLY, WE DID NOT ADD IT TO THIS PLAN YEAR SO THAT YOU COULD USE THE HRA FOR OTHER BENEFITS. AND THAT WAS IN PART BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, WE WERE TRYING TO TIE THAT OUT TO THOSE MEDICAL PLANS THAT WERE ACTUALLY PAYING FOR. THERE'S NOTHING THAT WOULD PREVENT US FROM DOING SO. THERE'S NO IRS REGULATION AND IT WOULDN'T IMPACT OUR CAFETERIA PLAN. WE COULD ADD THAT FOR NEXT PLAN YEAR. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DEFINITELY WOULD CONSIDER. THANK YOU. AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE US TO DO THAT. I REALLY, YOU KNOW, LOOK, I'M ONE OF 26, BUT I'M REALLY ASKING US TO DO THAT BECAUSE I'VE BOTH PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED. RIGHT. BUT I'VE TALKED TO OTHER EMPLOYEES, YOU KNOW, AND I'M A NON ELECTED OFFICIAL, EMPLOYEES OF THE CITY. AND THEY'VE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. AND ESSENTIALLY WHAT IT FORCES IS WHAT I'LL CALL GAMESMANSHIP OF HOW YOU CONSUME HEALTH CARE. SO LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT EVERYBODY ENDS UP DOING IS BOOKING ALL THEIR DENTAL AND EYE APPOINTMENTS IN JULY 1ST OR, YOU KNOW, IN JULY SO THAT YOUR FSA WILL COVER THAT. AND THEN AND THEN, YOU KNOW, SO THE REST OF THE YEAR ARE GETTING PRESCRIPTION DRUGS AND ALL THAT. IT SWITCH OVER TO YOUR HRA. BUT YOU KNOW, THAT DOESN'T ALWAYS LAND NICELY, RIGHT? SOMETIMES YOU NEED A DENTAL APPOINTMENT AT THIS TIME OR AN APPOINTMENT AT THAT TIME THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. AND I THINK JUST FOR A EASE OF USE FOR THE EMPLOYEES, I GET WHY IT WAS DONE. IT MAKES SENSE IF THEY WERE ON SEPARATE CARDS AND YOU COULD CONTROL WHEN YOU USED WHAT, THEN I WOULD SAY WE DON'T HAVE TO CHANGE A THING, BUT BECAUSE WE FORCE THE USE OF IT ALL UNDER THE SAME CARD AND FORCE ONE TO GO FIRST VERSUS SECOND, I DO THINK WE SHOULD ALIGN IT AGAIN. WE CAN'T DO IT THIS YEAR, BUT I WOULD ASK IF WE COULD DO THAT NEXT YEAR. OKAY. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. THANK YOU. AND I NEGLECTED AT THE BEGINNING I'M SORRY TO RECOGNIZE COUNCILWOMAN MULVEY. WOOLRICH HAS BEEN WITH US. AND WE'VE ALSO BEEN JOINED BY COUNCILMAN MCCRANEY, COUNCILMAN, COUNCILMAN, PARISH COUNCILMAN, REED, COUNCILMAN CHAPEL AND COUNCILMAN HAWKINS.
SO IF THE CLERK COULD NOTE THOSE NEXT. THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN RUBY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SO I KNOW WE'VE TALKED IN YEARS PAST ABOUT THE LENGTH OF TIME IT TAKES TO GET SOMEONE HIRED, AND IT HAS IMPROVED. THANK YOU. SO WHAT TAKES SO LONG? BECAUSE ACCORDING TO THE STATISTIC HERE, FOR ORGANIZATIONS WITH 5000 PLUS EMPLOYEES, IT STILL TAKES 88 DAYS. WHAT IS IT THAT TAKES SO LONG TO GET SOMEONE HIRED? YOU KNOW, FOR US AS A GOVERNMENT ENTITY, THERE ARE JUST A LOT OF STEPS THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE. AND WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THAT HAVE BEEN STOOD UP, FOR INSTANCE, BAN THE BOX AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE THAT PREVENT US FROM DOING CERTAIN THINGS IN PARALLEL. SO WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL CERTAIN STEPS ARE COMPLETED BEFORE WE MOVE TO THE NEXT STEP. SO THAT IS A PART OF THE PROCESS TAKING A LONG TIME. AND THEN THE OTHER PIECE I THINK IS JUST PLANNING, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THAT HIRE AT THE BEGINNING BEFORE IT'S EVEN POSTED. AND THAT WAY EVERYONE IS ORGANIZED AND THE TIMING IS ALIGNED WITH HOW WE NEED TO PROCESS THE INTERVIEWS.
THE OTHER CONVERSATIONS THAT NEED TO BE HAD AROUND THAT EMPLOYEE AND IT'S PLANNED OUT WOULD ALSO REDUCE THE TIME. SO THE GOAL IS TO GET SOMEBODY HIRED WITHIN, WHAT WAS IT, 30 DAYS? IS THAT FEASIBLE? IT IS. SO WE HAVE REALLY TRIMMED EVERY SINGLE STEP OF THE PROCESS. SO AS LONG AS WE HAVE FULL COOPERATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT AND THEY'RE ABLE TO MEET THEIR THEIR DEADLINES AND HR IS ABLE TO MEET OUR DEADLINES, THEN IT IS FEASIBLE WE CAN GET IT DONE.
AND WE HAVE SEEN SOME REDUCTION OVER THE LAST THREE MONTHS. WE JUST STARTED THIS ON APRIL 14TH, BUT OVER THE LAST THREE MONTHS WE'VE SEEN THAT GRADUALLY GETTING DECREASED. THE HIRING TIME. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN PURVIS. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE FSA. I'M NEVER GOOD AT THOSE. SO YOU'RE AT WE'RE GOING TO LOOKING AT ADDING 500,000. AND YOU SAID THE MATCH WOULD BE UP TO 2500. SO IF AN EMPLOYEE
[00:35:04]
PUTS 2500, THE MATCH YOU, THE CITY WILL MATCH 2500. YES, THAT IS CORRECT. AND THIS IS FOR LIKE DEDUCTIBLES CO INSURANCES. THIS IS FOR THE DEPENDENT CARE ONLY. SO THEY WOULD ONLY BE ABLE TO USE THE DEPENDENT FSA TOWARDS CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE. SO AS NOT FOR JUST SINGLE. IT'S NOT JUST FOR MEDICAL. OKAY I'M GLAD YOU EXPLAINED THAT. AND LAST YEAR YOU ALL DID A JOB FAIR AT THE NORTON SPORTS COMPLEX. AND I JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU KEPT UP WITH THE DATA, HOW MANY EMPLOYEES WAS HIRED OUT OF THAT JOB FAIR? WE DO HAVE THAT INFORMATION. I DON'T HAVE IT WITH ME TODAY, BUT I CAN PULL THOSE NUMBERS AND GET THOSE TO YOU. YEAH, I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW MANY WERE HIRED AND WHAT AREAS WERE THEY HIRED IN SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT ONE AT NORTON OR. YES, MA'AM. OKAY. OKAY. SURE. YEAH. AND THAT'S IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR BOOTH, I'D LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION. YOU KNOW, OVERALL IN THE BUDGET OVER TIME. SO WE'VE HAD A DEDICATED STRATEGY THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE PAY BOTH FOR UNION AND NONUNION LABOR. HOWEVER, OUR OVERTIME EXPENSE, OUR NONSCHEDULED OVERTIME THIS YEAR IS SCHEDULED TO GO UP PRETTY SIGNIFICANTLY. AGAIN, I KNOW THERE IS A CERTAIN LEVEL OF OVERTIME THAT IS DESIRABLE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, UNTIL YOU REACH SORT OF THE NEXT FULLY BURDENED COST, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A COST ADVANTAGE OF SOME LEVEL OF OVERTIME. I KNOW WE'RE ALSO REQUIRED TO HAVE SOME LEVELS OF OVERTIME FOR OUR HAZARD DUTY EMPLOYEES. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE ANTICIPATED FURTHER EXPENSE OF OVERTIME THIS YEAR, WHERE WE STAND IN FILLING OUR UNFILLED POSITIONS AND SORT OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE OPTIMAL LEVELS WHERE WE'LL START TO SEE THAT UNSCHEDULED OVERTIME LEVELING OFF. SO AS FAR AS THE OVERALL COST, I WOULD DEFER TO OMB TO PROVIDE THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. BUT AS FAR AS THE NUMBER OF VACANCIES, WE HAVE ROUGHLY 716 CURRENTLY FUNDED VACANCIES, AND A LOT OF THAT IS GOING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE OVERTIME THAT WE HAVE. MOST OF OUR OVERTIME, I BELIEVE, IS COMING FROM OUR PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS. TO YOUR POINT, I DO THINK THAT SOME OF THAT OVERTIME IS JUST NATURAL BECAUSE OF ATTRITION AND MOVEMENT WITHIN THE DEPARTMENTS. BUT AS FAR AS THE CAP OR THE AMOUNT OR THAT LEVEL THAT WE'RE GOING TO REACH WHERE IT'LL KIND OF LEVEL OUT, I DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION. DO YOU KNOW WHAT PERCENT OF THE PLANNED OVERTIME IS PUBLIC SAFETY VERSUS OTHER AGENCIES, OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN FIGURE OUT? YEAH, WE COULD FIGURE OUT. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN OWEN. THANK YOU.CHAIR, I HAD A SIMILAR QUESTION ABOUT OVERTIME AND WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM AND THAT SORT OF THING. I ALSO WANTED TO ASK. I WAS TALKING TO COUNCILMAN WEBER EARLIER TODAY ABOUT REDUCING KIND OF THE PATHWAYS AND USING I AND WAS WONDERING HOW MUCH I ARE YOU GUYS ARE USING FROM AN HR STANDPOINT TO TRY TO MAYBE REDUCE SOME OF SOME OF THE TIME IT TAKES TO HIRE SOMEBODY. IS THAT SOMETHING YOU GUYS ARE FACTORING IN AT ALL? SO AS FAR AS I, WE'VE LOOKED AT USING AI FOR OUR JOB DESCRIPTIONS, FOR JOB DESCRIPTION REVIEW, WE RELY HEAVILY ON THE DEPARTMENTS TO REVIEW AND TELL US WHAT WORK IS BEING PERFORMED. BUT WE HAVE LOOKED AT AI IN SHORING UP THE JOB DESCRIPTIONS. WE'VE ALSO USED AI FOR DIFFERENT POLICIES TO SEE IF IT CAN IDENTIFY DIFFERENT GAPS IN POLICIES. YOU KNOW, WHERE INDIVIDUALS COULD POTENTIALLY TAKE ADVANTAGE OR NOT PROPERLY UTILIZE THAT POLICY. BUT OUTSIDE OF THAT, WE REALLY HAVEN'T AND WE HAVEN'T USED AI FOR THE HIRING PROCESS ITSELF. CURRENTLY, MOST OF THE TIME TO HIRE IS IN THAT INTERVIEW PERIOD, AND IT'S WITHIN THE DEPARTMENTS AND POTENTIALLY IDENTIFYING QUESTIONS RELATED TO INTERVIEW QUESTIONS IS SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE'VE CONSIDERED FOR AI. BUT OUTSIDE OF THAT, THERE'S NO CONVERSATIONS BEEN HAD. THANK YOU. AND IN ADDITION, THE QUESTION ABOUT OVERTIME, I MEAN, IS THERE IS THERE A RULE OF THUMB? I MEAN, IS THERE A WAY THAT YOU CAN KIND OF LOOK AT HOW MUCH NONSCHEDULED OVERTIME YOU'RE YOU HAVE AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THAT OPTIMUM POINT IS BETWEEN HIRING MORE FULL TIME PEOPLE? AND AGAIN, I UNDERSTAND THAT IN A LOT OF THESE SITUATIONS, IT'S NOT BEING ABLE TO FILL PUBLIC SAFETY POSITIONS THAT WE THAT WE HAVE. BUT IS THAT IS THAT A CALCULATION THAT YOU GUYS LOOK AT AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THE MOST OPTIMUM FROM AN EFFICIENCY STANDPOINT, THAT IS, WE DON'T WE DON'T HAVE THAT AS A METRIC THAT WE FREQUENTLY REVIEW TO FIGURE OUT THAT OPTIMUM TIME.
BUT THAT'S SOMETHING I THINK IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO, TO LOOK AT AND SEE WHERE THINGS ARE. AND THEN THE LAST THING IS, AND I SHOULD KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS, BUT YOU SAID WE HAVE 700 AND SOMETHING FUNDED POSITIONS. WHAT HAPPENS IF WE FUND THAT FOR A FISCAL YEAR GOING FORWARD? WHAT
[00:40:01]
HAPPENS TO THAT MONEY IF THAT POSITION IS NEVER OCCUPIED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE YEAR? I MEAN, IT GOES TO SURPLUS AND THEN AND THEN WHAT IS IN THEIR BUDGET. OKAY. SO THAT'S. YEAH.AND THEN SO THAT'S WHAT MAKES UP PART OF THE SURPLUS THAT WE RE-APPROPRIATE IT. OKAY. SO THAT WAS PIECE OF THE MID THE MID YEAR ADJUSTMENT. UNSPENT FUNDS MAKES UP FARE ADJUSTMENTS. THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU COUNCILMAN LINENGER. YES THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. SO I'VE HEARD A LOT OF CONCERNS ABOUT DELAYS IN OUR UNION CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS. WE CURRENTLY ONLY HAVE ONE NEGOTIATOR AT HR. YOU KNOW, UNION WORK IS THE BEST WORK. AND SO WE CURRENTLY HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE WORKING WITHOUT A CONTRACT WHO ARE OUR BEST WORKERS. WE HAVE FIVE CONTRACTS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY ASKING THESE WORKERS TO WORK WITHOUT A CONTRACT, TWO OF THEM SINCE 2023. WE HAVE TWO MORE THAT ARE GOING TO BE ADDED NEXT MONTH. YOU KNOW, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, OUR LIBRARY WORKERS, OUR PARKS WORKERS ARE BEING AFFECTED BY THIS. WHAT CAN WE DO TO SPEED UP THE NEGOTIATING PROCESS? ARE WE EVER GOING TO GO BACK TO TWO NEGOTIATORS? WE LIKELY WILL NOT GO BACK TO TWO NEGOTIATORS. WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH DENSMORE, AND THEY'VE BEEN EXTREMELY HELPFUL IN GETTING THE CONTRACTS NEGOTIATED. I WOULD ALSO ADD THAT OUT OF THE LAST 12 MONTHS, WE'VE NEGOTIATED 12 CONTRACTS, AND THAT'S REALLY RECORD. WE'VE EXPEDITED THE PROCESS. OUR GOAL IS TO GET THOSE FIVE CONTRACTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY PENDING, NEGOTIATED BEFORE JUNE 30TH, SO THAT WE CAN START ON THE NEXT TWO THAT ARE EXPIRING ON JUNE 30TH. SO WE REALLY ARE WORKING AS FAST AS WE CAN THROUGH THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS TO GET THE CONTRACTS DONE. OKAY. THANK YOU. SURE. THANK YOU. AND I'M MAKING THIS COMMENT AFTER YOUR QUESTION. IT'S NOT DIRECTED AT YOU, BUT JUST A REMINDER TO EVERYBODY THAT WE WANT TO KEEP OUR QUESTIONS FOCUSED ON THE BUDGET ITSELF. RIGHT. AND BUDGETARY IMPACTS IN THAT REGARD. SO YES, YES, I KNOW I JUST IT'S THAT'S WHY I SAID IT'S NOT DIRECTED AT YOU. SO DON'T TAKE IT DIRECTED AT YOU. SO JUST I FORGOT TO GIVE THAT REMINDER AT THE BEGINNING.
COUNCILMAN PIACENTINI. COINCIDENTAL TIMING, I'M SURE. THE TUITION ASSISTANCE, I THINK THE TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM IS SET AT $2,000 A YEAR. THAT IS CORRECT. UNLESS YOU EARNED INCOME, YOU GET AN EXTRA THOUSAND. OKAY. HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN AT THAT LEVEL? DO YOU KNOW? SINCE THE BEGINNING, SINCE IT WAS CREATED ON THE ORDINANCE, WAS HAVE WE LOOKED AT THE FISCAL IMPACT OF INCREASING MAKE A NUMBER UP, INCREASING IT TO 5000? I MEAN, YOU KNOW, TUITION INFLATION, YOU KNOW, JUST KEEPING UP WITH THE TIMES WE'VE DONE WE'RE RENEGOTIATING CONTRACTS AND RAISING RATES TO KEEP UP WITH THE MARKET. HAVE WE CONSIDERED WHAT THE IMPACT WOULD BE, AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE ESTIMATES FOR INCREASING THAT TUITION REIMBURSEMENT TO A HIGHER LEVEL? FROM THE SURVEYS THAT WE CONDUCTED OVER THE SUMMER, THAT WAS ONE OF THE MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS FOR WHY PEOPLE AREN'T PARTICIPATING. IT'S JUST NOT ENOUGH MONEY. SO WE WOULD LIKE TO INCREASE IT. IF WE COULD INCREASE IT TO 5000, THAT WOULD BE IDEAL. BUT ANOTHER PIECE OF THAT IS TO INCORPORATE CERTIFICATIONS INTO THAT ALLOWANCE SO THAT WE CAN ALSO OFFER, YOU KNOW, YEAH, I WOULD I WOULD ENCOURAGE US CERTAINLY BY NEXT BUDGET SEASON, I THINK WE NEED TO KNOW AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE US TO THINK ABOUT MAYBE 2 OR 3 LEVELS. RIGHT. LIKE WHAT IS 5000 COST? WHAT IS 10,000 COST? AND HERE'S WHY. I MEAN, THERE'S AN OLD ADAGE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE IT'S DONE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR. BUT YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW, DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST TO TRAIN OUR EMPLOYEES? AND OF COURSE, THE ALTERNATIVE IS DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT COSTS IF WE DON'T. RIGHT. SO, YOU KNOW, I REALLY WANT TO ENSURE I THINK TUITION AND I AGREE WITH YOU, BY THE WAY, NOT JUST TRADITIONAL SCHOOLING TUITION, BUT CERTIFICATIONS, PARTICULARLY WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOME OF OUR TECHNICAL
[ ID 25-0222 Facilities and Fleet Management]
STAFF, SKILLED LABOR. RIGHT. WHO CERTIFICATIONS DETERMINE HOW THEY MOVE UP IN CERTAIN AREAS. I THINK THAT ALL SHOULD BE INCLUDED. AND THEN ONE OTHER QUESTION ABOUT TURNOVER. IF I COULD FLIP TO MY THING HERE. AND WHILE YOU'RE DOING THAT, JUST SO THAT I CAN CORRECT WHAT I STATED. SO WE WERE ORIGINALLY AT 315,000 A YEAR. THAT WAS REDUCED TO 200,000. SO THAT AMOUNT THAT WE HAD AVAILABLE IN THAT POT WAS REDUCED OKAY, BUT REDUCED BECAUSE OF LACK OF USAGE.EXACTLY RIGHT. EXACTLY. AND AGAIN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A COUPLE HUNDRED THOUSAND IN A $1.2 BILLION BUDGET. RIGHT? RIGHT. SO YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK I WOULD LOVE TO EXPLORE NOW. NOW I WOULD SAY MODELING THIS WOULD NOT BE SUPER EASY BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST A SAME UTILIZATION AT THE COST. IT'S GOING TO BE INCREASED UTILIZATION, WHATEVER WE INCREASE IT TO. SO WE HAVE TO MODEL BOTH AS PART OF THE TOTAL COST TO THE CITY. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHAT THAT IS AND PROPOSE A NEW IDEA FOR NEXT YEAR IF THAT'S OKAY. AND THEN TURNOVER THE TWO DEPARTMENTS. I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT AS FAR AS A LOT OF THESE DEPARTMENTS, AND I'M NOT DISPARAGING ANY OF THEM,
[00:45:03]
BUT A LOT OF DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE, QUOTE, HIGH TURNOVER EITHER FALL INTO ELECTED OFFICES AND OR VERY SMALL OFFICES. YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE FIVE EMPLOYEES. ONE PERSON LEAVES, YOU HAVE 25% OR 20% TURNOVER. BUT TO SORT OF JUMP OUT AT ME AND THAT'S EMS AND PUBLIC WORKS AND ASSETS, BOTH WELL ABOVE 20% TURNOVER. CURIOUS AS TO AND JUST TO LINK THIS BACK TO THE BUDGET.TURNOVER HAS COST. CAN WE TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ANY INTERACTION YOU'VE HAD WITH THOSE DIRECTORS.
AND I'LL BRING IT UP WITH THEM DURING THEIR BUDGET HEARINGS AS WELL. BUT WHAT ROLE ARE YOU PLAYING IN HELPING TO HELP RESOLVE THESE COUPLE BIGGER DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE HIGH TURNOVER? WE'VE TALKED TO THEIR HR REPS AND TRIED TO GIVE GUIDANCE WITH REGARDS TO SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'VE SEEN THROUGH THE EXIT SURVEYS, SOME OF ITS CULTURE AND JUST MANAGEMENT. AND WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO INCORPORATE NEW MANAGEMENT TRAININGS FOR THOSE DEPARTMENTS THAT WE DO SEE THAT THAT'S A CHALLENGE. BUT I DO ASK THAT YOU ALSO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DEPARTMENTS TO TALK THROUGH. DO YOU FIND JUST JUST TO BRING THIS BACK TO WHETHER IT'S BUDGETARY OR NOT, DO YOU FIND IT'S MORE CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT WHICH WE NEED TO TAKE UP IN ANOTHER MEETING, OR DO YOU FIND IT'S MORE MONEY, IT'S WAGES. AND THIS I THINK IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH. SO WHEN WE HAVE OUR MANAGERS AND SUPERVISORS, WE HAVE COMPRESSION IN OUR UNION. CONTRACTS ARE GETTING NEGOTIATED AT A HIGHER RATE AND THEN TRYING TO FILL THOSE POSITIONS, AND THEY CAN GO ELSEWHERE TO FIND THAT WORK. SO I THINK IT'S A COMBINATION OF THE TWO. OKAY. THANK YOU. SURE. COUNCILMAN PARKER AND THEN MR. CLARK, LET THE RECORD REFLECT.
WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY CHAIR KRAMER, AND I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO HIM AFTER KICKING OVER TO COUNCILMAN PARKER. THANK YOU. QUICK QUESTION AGAIN ABOUT TUITION ASSISTANCE. IS THAT TIED TO METRO EMPLOYMENT? IT IS. SO THEY HAVE THEY SHOULD BE EMPLOYED. THEY SHOULD BE SEEKING A DEGREE THAT'S ASSOCIATED WITH THE WORK THEY'RE DOING. AND THEY HAVE TO GET A GRADE OF C OR BETTER. OKAY. WELL, ACTUALLY WHAT I MEAN IS IN ORDER TO GET THE TUITION ASSISTANCE, LIKE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, YOU MAY GET TUITION ASSISTANCE OR HELP WITH A DEGREE PAID FOR, BUT IT'S TIED TO WORKING FOR THAT ORGANIZATION FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. DO WE REQUIRE ANYTHING LIKE THAT? WE DO. WE ASK THAT THEY STAY EMPLOYED FOR SIX MONTH PERIOD. AND THEN THERE'S LANGUAGE IN OUR PERSONNEL POLICIES THAT SAY THAT WE COULD OR SHOULD RECOUP THOSE FUNDS. AND THEN ALSO GO ON NOT TO BE A LITTLE BIT REDUNDANT, BUT YOU'VE GOT OR IN THE PACKET. IT SAID THE OFFICE OF EQUITY TURNOVER RATE WAS HIGH AS WELL, 50%. AND THEN METRO ANIMAL SERVICES WAS HIGH 28%. WITH THOSE TWO VERY DIFFERENT AGENCIES. BUT CAN YOU HAVE ANY INSIGHT INTO WHY THOSE TWO AGENCIES HAVE A HIGH TURNOVER RATE? SURE. FOR THE. WELL, ACTUALLY FOR BOTH, THEY'RE FAIRLY SMALLER AGENCIES, ESPECIALLY THE OFFICE OF EQUITY. THEY ONE PERSON LEAVING COULD POTENTIALLY DRIVE THEIR TURNOVER TO 50%. OKAY. SO THAT'S LIKELY THE CASE THERE. AS FAR AS ANIMAL SERVICES, I'VE NOT SEEN A WHOLE LOT COME FROM THE DEPARTMENT AS FAR AS EXIT SURVEYS FOR ANIMAL SERVICES. SO I DON'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF I KNOW THEY WERE TRYING TO BUMP THEIR PAY UP BECAUSE IT WAS PRETTY LOW. BUT YEAH. OKAY. THANK YOU. I'LL JUMP BACK IN THE QUEUE LATER. OH SURE. YES I'M SORRY. YES OKAY. THANK YOU. EXCUSE ME. I DON'T KNOW IF METRO TV PICKED THAT UP.
THAT WAS A COUNCIL PERSON WAS ASKING THAT MISS BOOTH SPEAK MORE DIRECTLY INTO THE MICROPHONE. SO, COUNCILMAN WEBER, THANK YOU. CHAIR. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. AND I JUST REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. LAST YEAR YOU WERE HERE WITH THE REAL TARGET AROUND HIRING TIMES. AND WHAT GETS MEASURED GETS DONE, GETS DONE. AND YOU REALLY HAVE DELIVERED ON THAT. SO I JUST WANT TO COMMEND THAT. HAVE WE THOUGHT ABOUT HOW WHEN THINKING ABOUT THAT WORKER PIPELINE, WE MIGHT LEVERAGE SOME OF THE LOCAL INSTITUTIONS TO PROVIDE SOME APPRENTICES OR A PIPELINE? I MEAN, I THINK ABOUT JC, JC, TK. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE ARE REALLY BEING PROACTIVE AROUND? BECAUSE I KNOW THAT AS WE ALL STRUGGLE WITH, PARTICULARLY IN THE PIECES FOR PUBLIC WORKS, LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE JUST SEEM TO BE NOT ABLE TO HIRE ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WE NEED. I JUST LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT GOING FORWARD. AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT YOU NEED IN THE BUDGET TO ACCELERATE THAT. SO WE DO HAVE TWO POSITIONS FOR OUR TALENT ACQUISITION COORDINATORS.
AND SO THEY'VE BEEN TASKED WITH GOING INTO THE COMMUNITY, THOSE INSTITUTIONS AND DEVELOPING THOSE PIPELINES AND THOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THOSE SCHOOLS, EVEN INCLUDING JC AND OUR TECHNICAL PROGRAMS, SO THAT WE CAN ATTRACT AND GET INDIVIDUALS TO APPLY FOR OUR
[00:50:07]
POSITIONS. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT OUR TAC TEAM IS ALREADY WORKING ON AND WILL CONTINUE TO WORK ON. AND WE'RE ALSO MEETING AND WORKING WITH EACH OF THE DEPARTMENTS TO IDENTIFY THOSE SPECIALTY PROGRAMS THAT WE COULD REACH OUT TO, TO SOURCE CANDIDATES FOR THE JOBS. GREAT.THANK YOU. ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR? I KNOW THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING A LOT OF CONTRACTING WITH HAS BEEN IN THE SKILLED TRADES. YOU KNOW, I THINK PARKS WAS TALKING ABOUT THE AMOUNT THAT THEY'RE SPENDING ON WELDING RELATIVE TO HAVING A POSITION. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT IN PARTICULAR, AS FAR AS THE WELDING? WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE A PIPELINE OF WELDERS PER SAY, BUT YEAH, FOR INSTANCE, FLEET AND FACILITIES, THEY'RE LOOKING FOR MECHANICS.
RIGHT. SO THEY'RE LOOKING TO PILOT A PROGRAM WITH GTC TO WORK WITH THEM, HELP THEM GET THEIR CERTIFICATION AND THEN PAY OUT. AND THAT'S A PILOT THAT THEY'RE DOING FOR THOSE THOSE PROGRAMS. EXCELLENT. I'LL BE SURE TO BRING THAT TO COUNCILMAN BENSON'S ATTENTION. HE'LL BE EXCITED ABOUT THAT. THANK YOU. SURE. COUNCILMAN HAWKINS THANK YOU. CHAIR. THANKS FOR BEING HERE TODAY. WELL, YOU SHOWED US SOME RESULTS, SO I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THAT. ON THAT PROCESS. I DO WANT TO TOUCH ON KIND OF TOUCH OFF MY COLLEAGUE BEN WEBER TALKING ABOUT CONTRACTING LIKE THROUGH SCHOOLS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. IF THE PROCESS I NOTICED YOU WAS TALKING ABOUT THE PROCESS, BUT YOU DIDN'T BREAK THE PROCESS DOWN. RIGHT. FOR MY COLLEAGUE. BETSY ROY, IF THE PROCESS IS JUST THAT LENGTHY AND I'M STILL LEARNING TOO, THAT, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING IN GOVERNMENT IS A PROCESS. IT'S JUST A IT'S WHAT IT IS. IT IS WHAT IT IS. BUT IS THERE ANY WAY THAT, YOU KNOW THAT WE COULD CONTRACT THROUGH A TEMP SERVICE? BECAUSE, I MEAN, AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT DOESN'T HINDER US. YOU KNOW, IT ONLY HINDERS, LET'S SAY IF IT'S A DEPARTMENT AND WE CAN'T GET SOME WORK DONE QUICK ENOUGH BECAUSE THEY'RE SHORT STAFFED, IT AFFECTS THE COMMUNITY. RIGHT. AND IF IT'S AN EMPLOYEE, YOU KNOW, AFTER SO LONG, THEN THERE COULD BE A GOOD EMPLOYEE THAT'S WAITING ON THIS GREAT JOB. AND THEN ANOTHER JOB COMES ALONG AND GET THAT GOOD EMPLOYEE BECAUSE OUR PROCESS IS SO SLOW. RIGHT. SO IS LIKE, HAVE WE THOUGHT ABOUT MAYBE PARTNERING WITH A TEMP SERVICE THAT DOES ALL THE WORK? SO WE DO HAVE SOME AGENCIES THAT USE CONTRACTORS TO ASSIST WITH THE WORK, BUT THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONTRACTOR IS A LOT MORE THAN WHAT WE WOULD PAY TO FILL THOSE POSITIONS. SO OUR GOAL IS TO GET THE POSITIONS FILLED AND TO EXPEDITE THAT PROCESS SO THAT WE DON'T LOSE INDIVIDUALS TO OTHER POSITIONS WHILE THEY'RE WAITING ON THE HIRE. RIGHT. WHICH LEADS ME TO MY NEXT QUESTION FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR. WHAT THE WHAT DEPARTMENTS DO YOU ANTICIPATE WILL HAVE THE MOST DRASTIC CUTS FOR EMPLOYEES? SO I'VE NOT HEARD ANY CONVERSATIONS AROUND REDUCTION IN FORCE OR RIFFS. SO I, I'M NOT AWARE OF THAT. SO I CAN'T SPEAK TO DEPARTMENTS NOT HAVING THE WORKFORCE. OKAY. SO LET ME REPHRASE MY QUESTION JUST A LITTLE BIT. OKAY. SO. THERE WAS A DEPARTMENT MEETING WITH ALL THE HEAD DEPARTMENTS. AND IT SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER THEY SAID THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE SOME JOBS THAT WAS CUT. WHAT IF THAT IS AND IF THAT DOES HAPPEN, YOU KNOW, DO YOU KNOW LIKE WHAT AREAS THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE, WHAT AREAS THAT WOULD BE, WHAT DEPARTMENTS, YOU KNOW? OR WOULD IT JUST COME FROM DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS OR JOBS THAT ARE NOT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S JUST BURDEN ON OR THERE'S NOT, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW, LIKE, YEAH, SURE.
AND I DON'T BELIEVE THE INTENT IS TO ELIMINATE ANY OF OUR FIELD CLASSIFICATIONS, ANY OF OUR FIELD POSITIONS. SO OUT OF THE 716 VACANCIES BEING TASKED WITH THOSE POTENTIALLY TO ELIMINATE IS MY UNDERSTANDING. BUT WITH THAT, THAT RUNS THE GAMUT. WE HAVE VACANCIES ACROSS THE BOARD.
SO TO IDENTIFY A SPECIFIC DEPARTMENT, I THINK THAT WOULD BE A CHALLENGE. RIGHT. SO IF WE HAVE A LENGTHY AMOUNT OF JOBS THAT ARE OUT THERE, THAT IT TAKES A LONG AMOUNT OF TIME TO FILL, IT'S IT JUST BECOMES CONCERNING WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ELIMINATING POSITIONS, I'M THINKING IF WE ALREADY HAVE POSITIONS THAT WE KNOW THAT ARE GOING TO BE ELIMINATED, MAYBE YOU COULD HELP IN THE PROCESS IF THEY'RE POSITIONS THAT NEED TO BE FILLED AND THEY CHECK THOSE BOXES, MOVE THOSE, YOU KNOW, MOVE THOSE EMPLOYEES TO THOSE POSITIONS. AND WE ARE HAVING
[00:55:05]
CONVERSATIONS TO PRIORITIZE, OKAY. AND TRYING TO IDENTIFY WHICH CLASSIFICATIONS THE DEPARTMENTS FEEL ARE A PRIORITY. AND WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT FOR SOME TIME, EVEN OUTSIDE OF THIS BUDGET PROCESS. SO THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE BEING HAD. I BELIEVE THAT DEPARTMENTS NEED TO POST THEIR POSITIONS. SO OUT OF THE 716 VACANCIES, WE HAVE 52 CURRENT POSTINGS. AND SO DEPARTMENTS NEED TO BE PROACTIVE AND POSTING THOSE POSITIONS AND PUTTING IT OUT THERE SO THAT WE CAN GET APPLICANTS AND CAN GET THEM FILLED. SO YOU DON'T DO THAT. THE DEPARTMENTS DO, RIGHT? THE DEPARTMENTS SEND US OVER THAT POSTING INFORMATION AND THEN WE POST IT FOR THEM, BUT THEY HAVE TO TELL US WHAT TO POST. IT GAVE ME WHAT I NEEDED. THANK YOU. SURE. COUNCILMAN PURVIS. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. MISS BOOTH, PLEASE FORGIVE ME IF I ASK YOU TO REPEAT SOMETHING YOU'VE ALREADY SAID TO COUNCILWOMAN PARKER. BUT I WANTED TO JUST BLUNTLY ASK YOU IF YOU THOUGHT $2,000 WAS ENOUGH FOR TUITION ASSISTANCE ANNUALLY. I DO NOT THINK THAT THAT IS ENOUGH. I THINK THAT SHOULD BE INCREASED. DO YOU THINK IF THERE WAS AN INCREASE, THERE WOULD BE MORE OF AN INCENTIVE TO PROBABLY KEEP EMPLOYEES? I DO, BECAUSE 2000 BARELY COVERS A CREDIT, IF AT ALL, IF IT DOES COVER CREDIT. YEAH. SO I BELIEVE THAT IF WE OFFERED MORE, WE WOULD SEE MORE PARTICIPATION. AND AS I SAID, THE CERTIFICATIONS IS SOMETHING ELSE THAT EMPLOYEES ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN. SO IF WE INCLUDED THOSE CERTIFICATIONS AS AN OPTION, THEY WOULD ALSO $2,000 ANNUALLY WOULD TAKE ABOUT 30 YEARS TO GET A DEGREE. OKAY. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN REED.THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR, AND THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO ASK A QUESTION. I'M NOT ON THIS COMMITTEE, BUT I DID WANT TO ASK, AS A FOLLOW UP TO YOUR POINT ABOUT RED TAPE AND DELAY AND THINGS THAT ARE ESSENTIALLY BEYOND WHAT YOU WOULD CONSIDER TO BE YOUR CONTROL, DO YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS THAT YOU COULD BRING TO US THAT MIGHT SPEED UP THE PROCESS, SYSTEMIC CHANGES THAT MAYBE WE CAN HELP GET IMPLEMENTED? I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE ARE CHANGES THAT WOULD REQUIRE METRO COUNCIL TO ASSIST WITH. THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS REALLY US ENSURING THAT WE HAVE A DEFINED TIMELINE AROUND THAT POSITION. SO WHEN THEY POST THE POSITION, THEY SHOULD ALREADY HAVE A DATE OR DATES SCHEDULED FOR INTERVIEWS. THEY SHOULD ALREADY HAVE A PANEL IF THEY'RE GOING TO USE A PANEL OR INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE GOING TO PARTICIPATE IN THOSE INTERVIEWS ALREADY DEFINED. THERE'S JUST STEPS THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN BEFORE THE POSITION EVEN COMES OVER TO HR TO BE POSTED. THAT, I BELIEVE WOULD SPEED UP THE PROCESS IF THOSE STEPS WERE TAKEN. HAVE YOU BROUGHT US UP TO THE ADMINISTRATION OR TO ANY OF THE DEPUTY MAYORS THAT MAYBE THAT THEY COULD GET TOGETHER WITH SOME OF THE DEPARTMENT HEADS AND HELP YOU IN THAT REGARD? SO WE'RE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS 30 DAYS BECAUSE OF THE ADMINISTRATION? STRONGLY. THEY'RE STRONGLY ENCOURAGING THIS AND ARE COMPLETELY SUPPORTING US WITH THIS INITIATIVE. SO THE DEPUTY MAYORS, THE MAYOR, DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS, THIS HAS BEEN COMMUNICATED TO EVERYONE. SO I BELIEVE EVERYONE'S ON BOARD. IT'S JUST A MATTER OF SEEING HOW IT PANS OUT, BECAUSE WE'VE ONLY BEEN DOING THIS SINCE APRIL 14TH. GOT IT. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. I WAS WONDERING, WHEN I LOOK AT THE AGENCY RECEIPTS FOR FY 25, THE REVISED BUDGET, THERE'S 490,300. I'M CURIOUS WHERE WHERE THOSE CAME FROM. AND THEN IN THE FY 26 RECOMMENDED BUDGET, THERE'S 475,000 FOR AGENCY RECEIPTS. CAN YOU SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO WHERE THOSE AGENCY RECEIPTS ARE LIKELY GOING TO COME FROM? IS TELLING ME THAT'S FOR TRANSFER OKAY. IT'S FROM THE HEALTH FUND TRANSFERRING FOR THE HEALTH FUND OKAY. SO MOST OF THAT'S GOING TO COME FROM THAT ONE FUND OKAY. THANK YOU. WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES THAT THIS BUDGET PROPOSES, HIRING 69 NEW EMPLOYEES. ARE ANY OF THOSE FUNDED WITH FEDERAL OR STATE DOLLARS, OR ARE ALL OF THOSE GOING TO BE FUNDED THROUGH OUR BUDGET? GENERAL, I BELIEVE THE GENERAL. GENERAL JUST CONFIRMED.
OKAY, GOOD. AND WE AS WE'RE LOOKING OUT, WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT OUR PROJECTED INCOME REVENUE INCREASE IN REVENUE IS. ARE WE EXPECTING THAT THESE 69 NEW EMPLOYEES WILL BE PAID GOING
[01:00:07]
FORWARD WITH REVENUE OR WHATEVER? I'M TRYING TO FIND A NICE WAY TO SAY, ARE WE PAYING FOR ANY OF THESE SALARIES WITH ONE TIME MONEY? I DO NOT BELIEVE SO, BUT I'LL DEFER TO OMB ON THAT. HI. ANGELA DUNN, CFO WITH OMB, KNOW THESE POSITIONS ARE NOT PLANNED TO BE PAID FOR WITH ONE TIME MONIES. IT'S CONSIDERED ONGOING. THEY WOULD BECOME PART OF THAT ONGOING OPERATIONAL.OKAY. WELL, I'M HAPPY THAT YOU STEPPED UP. THANK YOU. THIS IS A QUESTION REALLY FROM THE OTHER DAY, AND PROBABLY I SHOULD HAVE ASKED IT THEN. COUNCILMAN PIAGENTINI POINTED OUT THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR EMPLOYMENT DROPPED QUITE A BIT AS A RESULT OF SOME CHOICES, TOUGH CHOICES THAT HAD TO BE MADE. AND WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THOSE NUMBERS GO BACK UP. WE WERE DOWN AT 5008. WE'RE UP TO 5304. AT. AT WHAT POINT WILL WE HOW WILL WE SUSTAIN THAT GOING FORWARD? ARE WE ANTICIPATING BEING ABLE TO SUSTAIN THAT GOING FORWARD? AND IS THERE A PLACE WHERE IS THERE A PLACE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE IDENTIFIED THAT SAYS, THIS IS IT. LIKE WE CAN'T IF WE KEEP HIRING, WE'RE GONNA FIND OURSELVES IN THE SAME PROBLEM WE WERE IN TEN YEARS AGO. WE HAVE NOT SET AN OFFICIAL CAP, IF YOU WILL. I THINK TRADITIONALLY WE'VE ALWAYS HOVERED AROUND THAT 5500 MARK. AND SO AT 5300, WE WOULD STILL SORT OF CONSIDER OURSELVES UNDERSTAFFED COLLECTIVELY AT THIS POINT, IF YOU SORT OF TAKE THAT 5500 AS OUR TRADITIONAL BENCHMARK, YOU KNOW, KIND OF GIVE OR TAKE A LITTLE BIT. SO I THINK THAT'S THAT'S STILL WHERE WE THINK WE NEED TO BE. BUT THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY CONVERSATIONS WHERE WE SET AN ABSOLUTE CAP, BUT WE DON'T. WHEN WE ADD POSITIONS, WE ADD THEM WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT IT'S CONSIDERED WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN IT, YOU KNOW, SO WE DON'T ADD A POSITION THINKING THAT WE'RE GOING TO TAKE IT AWAY NEXT YEAR. YOU KNOW, IT'S ADDED WITH THE IDEA THAT WE WOULD BUILD IN. THAT'S PRECISELY THE REASON FOR MY QUESTION. RIGHT? RIGHT. I DON'T WANT TO FIND OURSELVES TWO YEARS FROM NOW, YOU KNOW, LETTING LAYING PEOPLE OFF. SURE. I WONDER IF 55 IS. AND NOW'S NOT THE TIME. WE'LL HAVE THAT CONVERSATION LATER, BUT 55 SEEMS LIKE THAT'S AWFULLY CLOSE TO WHERE WE WERE IN TROUBLE BEFORE. SO WONDERING IF MAYBE 54 MIGHT BE A MORE REASONABLE GOAL. WE'RE STILL WELL SHORT OF THAT, SO SURE. AGAIN, THAT'S A CONVERSATION FOR LATER. WHAT WAS THE TOTAL COST OF ADDING THOSE 69 POSITIONS? DO WE HAVE A DOLLAR AMOUNT? WE'LL HAVE TO GET THAT TO YOU. I DON'T HAVE IT. THANKS. COUNCILMAN LINENGER. YES, THANK YOU AGAIN. AND THIS QUESTION WAS PROMPTED BY COUNCILWOMAN HAWKINS LINE OF QUESTIONING ABOUT THE REDUCTION IN FORCE THROUGH THE ATTRITION THAT'S BEING TALKED ABOUT. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THESE OVER 700 UNFILLED POSITIONS. IT'S GREATER THAN 10% OF OUR TOTAL WORKFORCE THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT THESE DRAWDOWNS FROM. AND IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'VE GOT IT'S PRETTY EVEN ACROSS DEPARTMENTS IS WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. ARE THERE ANY DEPARTMENTS THAT WE ARE NOT PROPOSING ANY DRAWDOWN ON FORCE THROUGH ATTRITION? SAY LIKE, YEAH, I DON'T WE'VE NOT IDENTIFIED ANY ONE DEPARTMENT TO NOT OKAY, CORRECT. STILL HAVING CONVERSATIONS AROUND IT. RIGHT. THANK YOU. SURE. GREAT. ANYONE ELSE QUESTIONS? I HAVE A QUESTION, MR. CHAIR. I TRIED TO GET IN THE QUEUE, COUNCILWOMAN.
RIGHT. THANK YOU. THIS. AND THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE. I APPRECIATE THAT AND I DEFINITELY WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE CHANGES YOU'VE MADE SINCE LAST YEAR AND SEEING, YOU KNOW, PROGRESS IS PROGRESS. AND I KNOW THAT IT CANNOT BE EASY TO BE IN THAT POSITION, BUT I HAVE MY QUESTION WAS TRIGGERED BY OUR CHAIR ASKING ABOUT HOW SOME OF THESE POSITIONS ARE FUNDED, AND I'VE BEEN TRACKING AND LOOKING AT THE ABATEMENT FUNDING AND THE ONES THAT WE RECEIVE. AND IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, IN THE LAST BUDGET, THERE WAS A COUPLE OF POSITIONS WITH THE LOUISVILLE METRO DEPARTMENT HEALTH DEPARTMENT THAT WERE SUPPLANTED WITH OPIOID ABATEMENT FUNDING. AND I KNOW IN SOME OTHER CITIES THEY'RE SEEING MORE PEOPLE DO THAT. I'M MORE OF THE CITY GOVERNMENTS DO THAT KIND OF SUPPLANTING SOME OF THAT MONEY AND THESE 69 POSITIONS. I WANTED TO SEE IF THAT IS THE CASE WITH ANY OF THOSE, BECAUSE THAT MONEY IS, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW IT'S BLOOD MONEY, AND WE KNOW THAT THAT MONEY NEEDS TO GO TO THE PEOPLE. AND WE KNOW THAT WHILE THE CITY IS TRYING TO DO ITS BEST TO HELP, IT CANNOT SUSTAIN THESE ISSUES WITHIN OUR BUDGET BECAUSE IT'S NOT PHILANTHROPY, IT'S FOR A SPECIFIC REASON. AND SO, YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO SEE IF THAT IS TRUE OR IS THAT IS THAT DIFFERENT BECAUSE IT'S THE LOUISVILLE METRO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. THERE ARE NO POSITIONS IN THIS BUDGET, NEW POSITIONS THAT ARE BEING FUNDED WITH
[01:05:05]
OPIOID FUNDS. SO ANY OF THE 60 PLUS POSITIONS THAT ARE IN THIS BUDGET ARE CONSIDERED GENERAL FUNDED POSITIONS. THANK YOU. AND DOES THAT MEAN THAT THE LAST BUDGET WHERE SOME OF THOSE THERE WAS A COUPLE POSITIONS FUNDED? IS THAT STILL TRUE? WILL IT BE BROUGHT BACK INTO THE CITY BUDGET? LIKE HOW IS THAT PART WORKING AS IT RELATES TO THE BUDGETING? TYPICALLY I CAN'T SPEAK DIRECTLY TO THE OPIOID. I'D HAVE TO SEE THOSE PARTICULAR POSITIONS. BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, YOU KNOW, IF A GRANT ENDS ANY SORT OF FEDERAL FUNDING, STATE FUNDING, IF THAT FUNDING WERE TO END FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER, IF ANY POSITIONS ARE BEING SUPPORTED BY THAT FUNDING, THEN THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE A DECISION. EITHER YOU YOU ROLL THEM BACK INTO THE GENERAL FUND AND YOU FIND GENERAL FUND DOLLARS TO CONTINUE PAYING FOR THOSE POSITIONS.POTENTIALLY YOU FIND SOME OTHER SOURCE OF STATE OR FEDERAL FUNDING THAT COULD COVER THOSE POSITIONS, OR THOSE POSITIONS MAY HAVE TO END WITH THE FUNDING. BUT THAT'S JUST A GENERAL STATEMENT ACROSS THE BOARD. YOU KNOW, SPECIFIC TO THESE OPIOID POSITIONS I CAN'T SPEAK TO WITHOUT HAVING SOME MORE INFORMATION IN FRONT OF ME. I APPRECIATE THAT MY LAST PART, IF I MAY, ADDRESS SO ALSO IN THERE WAS INCENTIVES FOR LOUISVILLE METRO POLICE DEPARTMENT. THERE'S LIKE 1.5 AND THEN ANOTHER 500,000 FOR OFFICER INCENTIVES FOR THEM TO LIVE IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT THEY SERVE, WHICH I THINK IS GREAT, BUT IT IS IT IS WIDELY UNDERUSED. AND SO I WANTED TO SEE IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL PROCESS THROUGH YOUR DEPARTMENT, OR IS THAT SOMETHING I SHOULD FOLLOW UP WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ABOUT WHERE THAT FUNDING IS AND WHERE IT'S GOING? WE DON'T PROCESS IT THROUGH HR THAT'S PROCESSED THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT. YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE SEEING NO ONE ELSE IN THE QUEUE THAT WE HAVE EXHAUSTED OUR QUESTIONS FOR YOU. SO, MISS BOOTH, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BEING HERE. WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE. WITH THAT SAID, WE'VE GOT ANOTHER MEETING SCHEDULED TO START IN 15 MINUTES. I BELIEVE EVERYONE FROM FLEET AND FACILITIES IS HERE. AND ASSUMING THAT THAT'S TRUE, WE'LL TAKE JUST A FEW MINUTE BREAK AND GET STARTED IF WE CAN, JUST A FEW MINUTES EARLY. SO COUNCIL MEMBERS, IF YOU WANT TO TAKE A REAL QUICK BREAK, I WANT TO GET STARTED AS QUICK AS WE CAN. THANKS. THANK YOU.
SO.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.