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WM Council tables benefit plan

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Alderman scuttle proposal to provide day-one vacation, sick time to city workers

By John Rech

news@theeveningtimes.

com City council tabled again changes allowing rookie non-uniformed City of West Memphis employees vacation and sick time immediately after the 90 probationary period. Personnel committee member Councilman James Holt expressed frustration in the longtime coming proposal.

“People were invited to the last personnel meeting and no one showed up,” said Holt.

“We’ve even discussed this in here (during city council meetings). I’m not for tabling it. I’m for either voting it up or down.” I The measure had been drafted and on the city council meeting agendas in December, January and February but had been tabled each time by city council awaiting details.

Budget Chairman Councilman Tracy Catt indicated the key detail councilmen expressed interest in remained the cost of advancing sick pay and vacation time to first year city employees. City Council approved the 2020 budget just a week earlier without the costs of the new benefits accounted for. Catt said voting wouldn’t make sense without a spread sheet showing budget dollars.

“We have no verification of what the cost is,” said Catt. “We have an estimate but no verification. You just want to go ahead and vote on something with an unknown dollar value?

I’d ask that you’d wait again until the next meeting to make sure that everyone is fully aware of what the cost is.”

Catt scheduled the budget commission to convene Tuesday, February 4 at 4:00 p.m.

to hear among other items, the accounting on the human resources proposal. Human Resource Director Janice Coleman again extended the invitation to the full city council to hear the details of the proposal during the next regular personnel committee meeting on Wednesday February 19 at noon in the city utility conference room.

City council’s next full meeting followed both hearings on Thursday February 20 at 5:00 p.m.

Mayor Marco Mc-Clendon broke with established procedure of not discussing items set to become tabled and asked the human resource director to provide an outline of the proposal anyway.

He called for no motion to suspend the rue.

Coleman re-explained the proposed changes to city council.

“We want to give new hire a week of vacation time within the first year,” said Coleman.

“We are looking to offer 40 hours of vacation time for non-uniform employees. Currently they receive nothing.

It equates to 3.37 hour per month. So after 90 days the may use that time but they’d bank that time from the front their hire date. On their 91 day they could use their vacation and sick time. We are looking for the sick time to accrue to 12 days during the first year.

Coleman said the paid vacation time off would amount to ten hours by the ninety-first day “It would be about the same thing for sick time,” said Coleman.

The mayor allowed further discussion.

Councilman Wayne Croom thought the proposal would out compete private sector employers and make it tough for local businesses to hire top candidates.

“It sounds like a really liberal policy,” said Croom.

Personnel committeewoman Councilwoman Melanie Hutchinson asked Coleman to be prepared to present alternatives.

“Will you look at other sick time and vacation policies?” said Hutchinson.

“We have looked at other things,” said Coleman. “Don’t think we’ve been willy-nilly.” said Coleman.

The human resource director wanted the advanced paid time off to attract already employed applicants.

“We have a lot of competition out there,” said Coleman. “We originally looked at two weeks.

But to be fair we’ve felt the least we could do was a week of vacation and to start sick time, because that is a long tome to go without anything. It has come up when we present offers. Job candidates ask what is the sick time and vacation time policy starting off.”

“In private industry usually you’re not eligible for vacation benefits at 90 days,” said Croom. “It makes it competitive for local industries trying too hire.”

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