Minutes of
The Special Price City Council Meeting
City Hall:
Price, Utah
March 16,
2004, 7:00 a.m.
Present:
Mayor Joe L. Piccolo Joanne
Lessar, City Recorder
Councilmembers: Pat
Larsen, Finance Director
Betty P. Wheeler Gary Sonntag, Public Works
Director/City Engineer
Stephen L. Denison Nick Tatton, Community Director
Richard Tatton Aleck Shilaos, Chief of Police
Jeanne McEvoy
Joe Christman
Others
Present:
Bret Cammans Dana Young Lisa Richens
1.
BUDGET WORKSHOP
- Personnel
Pat Larsen presented two personnel
reports pertaining to current earnings, estimated earnings and benefits. She placed a 10% increase in insurance
benefits in the proposed budget, but will not know the actual increase until
the first of April. The proposed budget
includes a $91,000 increase for insurance, $74,000 for Workmans Compensation,
and $200,000 in wages, which includes new positions. If this projection continues for the next three years, wages will
have increased 5% and benefits 8%.
Personnel costs have seemed to escalate and are more than the projected
revenues. The cost of living increase
amounts to $64,500.
Following are the new positions, promotions and requested changes:
Fire Marshall - Full time
Water Treatment Plant Operator III - Full time
Data Processing - Part time position
Finance Department Auditor - Promotion
Engineering Department promotion
Building Department promotion - Part time to full time
Building Department personnel upgrades
Public Works Complex Secretary upgrade
Police Department officer upgrades
Alcohol Enforcement overtime increase
Streets Department wage increase and one temporary position
Parks Department wage increase
Cemetery Department wage increase and one temporary position (expand
Urban Forestry
program)
Library - Part time position to full time
If a second Operator I permanent/full time is hired for the Water
Treatment Plant, a temporary person will not be needed. This will ensure that all operators at the
plant are certified, which is in compliance with the State requirement. An Internal Auditor will not audit the
Finance Department, but will audit the Policies and Procedures, equipment usage
and needs, and personnel issues.
In order to try to reduce personnel costs, Pat Larsen will contact Utah
Local Governments Trust to determine if there might be a deduction plan for
pharmacy costs and what their costs would be for Workers Compensation insurance
versus what we presently have. Pat
explained the changes she made in the wage scale, which moves the maximum rate
from 15 years to 25 years. State
retirement rates have increased 1.47%, from 9.62 to 11.09%. Public Safety is increasing from $16.24 to
19.08%. The City has been paying 15.41%
in retirement rates. If the City were
to pay just the State Retirement rate
of 11.09%, it would save $71,000.
An all day retreat
is scheduled for Monday, April 19, 2004.
Meeting adjourned at
9:30 a.m.
APPROVED:
ATTEST: Joe L. Piccolo, Mayor
Joanne Lessar, City
Recorder