As we noted earlier in a blog comment, at last night's council meeting, a motion by Bill Garner, seconded by Salette Latas to offer our town employees a severance package was approved with only Mayor Loomis & Vice Mayor Carter dissenting.
Hopefully, this will help alleviate some of the over staffing, and at the same time, financially benefit any employee that takes advantage of this "one time" offer.
Please read the story here.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/295740.php
8 comments:
Bill Garner's idea was a stroke of financial wisdom, compassion and business common sense.
For employees to wait for budget pruning is akin to sitting on death row appealling one's stay of execution. Do the Mayor and KC think that workers are productive under such conditions? Studies say NO.
Offering them incentive to control their lives helps those who leave to act not react. They will leave with a better feeling about their former employer because they will go with financial incentives and by their own choice. This will save the Council and Town Manager from deciding who to prune.
In addition, if enough opt for this package, it can reduce the numbers, save money and make the next budget less stressful.
Great job, Bill and to Barry, Paula, Salette and Al who voted for it.
Why would anyone vote against this? It's good for the town employees and it's good for the town.
On the other hand, the previous vote to keep those employees on the payroll for the next 6 months even though they have nothing to do was good for the employees but bad for the town and the taxpayers.
Garner is a genius and I think anyone who argues with him has an ego problem. First he worked out a great plan for some OVPD whose jobs were on the chopping block and now he devised another great plan for other town employees whose jobs were also on the line.
And Bill Garner has also done much behind the scenes work on some very important issues, like fire service for Suffolk Hills.
Bill brings out the best in Oro Valley!
This is on a different topic but there isn't another post that currently addresses this.
Richard Tracy spoke at the June 3rd council meeting where he made it clear that he reads this blog so I assume that he will see this as well.
He said that the bloggers on this site engaged in "anti-administration diatribe" and "anti-police rhetoric."
He said that we "feed off of each other to the detriment of the community we'd like to see excel."
He neglected to mention how we praise the administration when it's warranted, or how some of us worked to get some of the current administration elected, or how we even sometimes disagree with those we helped to elect and sometimes agree with those with whom we normally disagree. He also failed to note that we also offer solutions to some of the problems for which we complain. And yes, we're involved BECAUSE we want to see Oro Valley excel. I suppose we could all do the opposite and be apathetic to the town and our surroundings. It's a testament to our love for this town and its majestic landscape that we DO care enough to be involved.
And, oh yes, I'm going to address his OVPD comment. As I stated in another post some time ago, I have 30 pages of documentation and photographs to PROVE that my "incident" involving the OVPD was real and not just rhetoric.
Do not test me on this issue, Mr. Tracy.
Mr. Tracy doesn't seem to 'get it' and in the process, presents his own rhetoric in a disheveled and 'street talk' manner.The first time I heard him 'speak' he butchered John Musolf's name (among other botched words and sentences), this past meeting he couldn't get the name of this site correct and again screwed with the English language while presenting a diatribe against this blog and the persons who express their opinions within it. He believes that ALL of us are in cahoots with each other and thus members of a sinister cabal.
Several weeks ago, I 'got into it' with Mr.Tracy outside of the meeting hall; after a heated exchange I thought I might have prevailed upon him to get more in tune with actuality and agreed to meet with him at a later date. He claimed that after living here for 11 years he still didn't know much about Oro Valley (boy, what a shell he's in). Having observed him twice more give blubbery rants before Council, I have decided that this man has a hopeless case of ignorance and is haplessly defiant.
As he is a retired Captain of one of the districts of the Chicago Police Department, he wildly defends anything and everything police; as to the rest of it all, he has no clue, and, as he claims he is now a private detective, having no 'clues' is not a good thing.
I didn't know he was a retired cop but that explains his worship of the OVPD.
When we were all discussing the OVPD a while back, I asked the bloggers who defended them if they themselves might be cops. Everyone was quick to say that they were not. However, when I rephrased the question to ask if they were related to a cop by blood or by marriage, everyone suddenly became mute.
I don't need to be a private detective to know what that means!
As of now, there are 167 responses to our poll question. Of all the responses,one respondent saw fit to say "the mayor can do what he thinks is best."
With the "intelligence" Mr. Tracy displays in addressing the council, I wouldn't be surprised if he was the ONE!
Oh! By the way, I never did thank Tracy for mentioning our blog 3 or 4 times in a 3 minute retort to my comments directed at the mayor and his 3 cohorts on "raiding" the contingency fund issue.
Mr. Tracey, dear Dick,
Wonder if you've thought about the fact that intelligent ongoing dialogue with the PD or Mayor is not allowed. Speakers are limited and obtaining an interview with the Police Chief is offered only to his devotees.
Where is freedom of speech in OV?
You're from Chicago. People say what they want and "vote early and often", right? You feel free.
Not so in Oro Valley.
Until Art Siegel initiated his blog, there was no independent newspaper, no communications vehicle for those of other opinions.
Dick, we live in the US where diversity crafted a unique government. In my opinion the result is richer because we consider many points of view and decide accordingly.
FYI, my law enforcement colleagues consider the lying, cheating, lazy, perjuring behaviors of the "Brotherhood" as diminishing their integrity, valor, professionalism, their contribution to the safety of the community. They are offended by the corners "their own" cut.They do not support them simply because they are "brothers in the cause". They feel sanctions need to be given. They realize their brethren devalue the commitment they swear to on a daily basis.
FYI, one of my buddies just happens to be an ex-Chicago cop, retired because of on the job injury. Now that is martyrdom in the line of duty. Why are you allowing that kind of heroism to be tainted by the lazy, nonworking cops who drink coffee, find legal ways of erasing crime and non enforcement of the law to tarnish such bravery?
Dick, please rethink your priorities before you trash independent thinking.
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