BUCYRUS — Bucyrus City Council debated two ordinances that were created to provide raises for non-union city employees during its meeting Tuesday evening.
The ordinances, both on their third readings, failed during council’s regular meeting at Bucyrus City Hall.
Both issues failed with three council members voting to approve it and two, James Mee and Lisa Alsept, voting against the issue. The issue needed four “yes” votes to pass and with two council members absent from the meeting, Candy Yocum and Kevin Myers, the issue failed.
Council president Kurt Fankhauser read a letter he submitted earlier in the day to his fellow council members and the city’s administration that city workers do not need the pay raises at this time due to a state program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Yesterday, the State of Ohio announced the state is will be imposing pay reductions for non-union State of Ohio employees to follow along with Gov. DeWine’s other state budget cuts,” Fankhauser said. “Mayor Reser has repeatedly told us that we need to follow the example of Gov. DeWine for budget cutbacks anticipating revenue loses. This fall, the city is due to re-negotiate police and fire union contracts and most likely will need to ask both unions to take a pay freeze if the city sees continued revenue losses. Why would those unions agree to pay freezes if several months prior they witnessed council vote for pay raises?”
He said that last week he had a non-union city employee tell him that because of the $1,200 COVID-19 stimulus check and an additional $600 per paycheck CARES program the city is participating in, that they are going to make $6,000-$7,000 of extra pay this year due to all these stimulus incentives.
“Consider on top of that, non-union city employees are already making more than union employees in the fact that they do not have union dues withheld from their paychecks yet are receiving all the benefits of the union’s bargaining efforts in regards to insurance and sick and holiday days,” Fankhauser said.
Council member Doug Foght said the ordinances have made it to the third reading and that union employees already have been benefiting from their raises.
“It is not fair to the non-union employees to not receive their raises,” Foght said.
Council member Mark Makeever agreed with Foght, as did Bruce Truka, who said all city employees should be in the union to begin with.
Also during the meeting, in a report submitted by city service safety director Jeff Wagner, he said the bid opening for milling and paving in the city will be opened June 17 at 10 a.m. and the breach of the Pines Reservoir is set for the end of June.
He also said the plans have been submitted for the little league concession stand to FEMA and ODNR and are being reviewed for possible approval due to flood plain regulations.
Council voted to allow movies to be shown during the summer at Schines Park for the monthly movie night, if people stay with the group they come to the event with and social distancing from other groups.
According to city law director Rob Ratliff, people may bring their own chairs and blankets to sit on and may be in groups of as many as 10 people, per the county health department.
Council’s next meeting is June 16 at 7 p.m. on June 16. The Joint Council Committee meeting is Thursday at 6 p.m. in council chambers at Bucyrus City Hall.