Resolves and Commentaries

Mayor's Salary and unpaid furloughs

In City Council, June 22, 2009

ORDINANCE:

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING § 2-127 OF THE REVISED ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF BROCKTON TO AUTHORIZE AN UNPAID FURLOUGH FOR CERTAIN CLASSIFIED CITY EMPLOYEES:

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Brockton that the Revised Ordinances of the City of Brockton, § 2-127, establishing the employee classification and compensation plan, is hereby amended by inserting the following new and additional paragraphs following the second full paragraph of Section 2-127:

UNPAID FURLOUGH DAYS IN FY2010. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section, and Section 2-133 (Workweek), due to budgetary restraints any employee occupying a full-time position classified as “DH” (Department Head) in the classification and compensation plan described herein, excluding the Police Chief and Fire Chief, shall be required to take an unpaid furlough for up to ten (10) days in fiscal year 2010. For purposes of computing the relevant time periods and revenue procedures, any such furlough day(s) shall be considered as unpaid legal holidays.

Any such unpaid furlough shall take effect consistent with the General Laws of Massachusetts, specifically in accordance with the provisions of G.L.c. 39, § 6A, which provides that no increase or reduction in municipal salaries as set by ordinance shall take effect in same the year that such increase or reduction is voted.

Any employees who are required to take an unpaid furlough under this section will have their gross pay reduced on a pro rata basis for each required furlough day taken in a given pay period. Compensation received under the circumstances herein provided shall be considered full compensation for all employees who are subject to such furlough.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 2-134(c), no employee shall be denied pay for a holiday because he or she takes an unpaid furlough day on the working day immediately before or after the holiday.

Subject to the forgoing, all rules and regulations governing the unpaid furlough shall be determined by the Mayor.

This amendment shall be repealed and expire of its own accord at midnight on June 30, 2010, and shall not, without further action by the City Council, be included in the FY2010 pay scale.

COUNCILOR LINDA BALZOTTI

COUNCILOR DENNIS EANIRI

Commentary

Balzotti, Eaniri file to freeze Mayor's salary & furlough
Department Heads to shore up City finances.

July 20, 2009 – Mayoral Candidate and Councilor-at-Large Linda Balzotti co-sponsored legislation to freeze the Mayor’s salary for two years and furlough city department heads in a move to save money as the city weathers a financial storm.

“The Fiscal 2010 budget contained raises for the Mayor and Department Heads, and I cannot justify spending that kind of money when our city services are being cut to the breaking point,” said Balzotti. “These are difficult financial times, but we all need to work together to help the city through this crisis. We are asking our residents to do more with less, so it is only fitting that we lead by example.”

Balzotti and Ward 3 Councilor Dennis Eaniri filed a Home Rule petition before the City Council urging the Legislature to freeze the Mayor’s salary for two years. The mayor’s salary is adjusted according to state statute, and the freeze would affect Balzotti if she is successful in the November election. Balzotti and Eaniri also filed an ordinance allowing the Council to furlough department heads in order to recoup the raises they received in fiscal 2010. Those raises are also set automatically by ordinance.

The Council voted to send the Home Rule petition to the Legislature, and the proposed ordinance change will be heard at the next regularly-scheduled Ordinance Committee meeting.

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Authorized and Paid for by The Balzotti Committee, 10 Felton Street, Unit 304, Brockton, MA 02301