New Bedford City Council shoots down 4 of mayor's 5 salary-related ordinances

NEW BEDFORD — City councilors shot down four of five salary-related ordinances proposed by Mayor Jon Mitchell, including one that would have scaled back 20 raises approved by the board.

The council took up the ordinances during its regular meeting on Feb. 23.

Mitchell had stated the council increases in a revamped management salary structure went two grades beyond his initial proposal last October, and were excessive in several instances.

The positions are assistant city clerk, assistant city council clerk, assistant director of cable access, chief videographer, clerk of committees, community and historic preservation planner, director of cable access, director of community services, director of council on aging, director of grants and finance, director of inspectional services, director of leash law, director of licensing, director of parking, director of purchasing, director of veterans services, legislative counsel, neighborhood planner, supervising public health nurse, and videographer/tech assistant.

He said the council's decision wasn't supported by the city's labor market analysis.

Councilors claim raises are fair

Councilor Ryan Pereira said he stood by the council vote, noting that the mayor had signed off on it "in record time."

Councilor Maria Giesta said councilors made sure the salary adjustments were fair while the mayor didn't. The purpose of the restructuring was to attract and keep good employees, which is laudable, she said. "But we have a lot of good people working for the city now, wholly disrespected by this administration."

Councilor Naomi Carney said she also agreed with the goal of attracting and keeping good employees. But, she added, the council had also worked to reward longterm employees for their service.

Councilor Brian Gomes said, "We've got a mayor who's not working with the city council and has not worked with the city council."

Council President Linda Morad said the board worked to make the adjustments fair and equitable, "to make sure people with the same job responsibilites are paid at the same level. Don't leave anyone behind. We might have made a couple mistakes but we did our best to fix them."

Non-union management positions pay comparison

The administration had presented a study to the council in October to restructure pay for the 150 or so non-union management positions in "Unit C."

It was performed to bring New Bedford employee salaries in line with salaries paid in Boston, Providence, Fall River, Worcester, Dartmouth, Springfield, Quincy, Taunton, Barnstable, and Brockton for similar positions.

The initial study, which was retooled by the council, would have given city employees in management posts at least a 5% pay raise, with most in the 10% range. It would have also put them in the middle of pay rates of the other communities studied, according to City Personnel Director Judith Keating.

Raise intended to keep and attract employees

The idea was to keep and attract top-flight employees.

Keating said the city lost over 45 candidates for leadership positions to other communities in just 10 months in 2022.

Council adjustments to the proposal, however, provided raises from $38,000 to $50,000 to three of the affected city employees — or 32% to 42%. That drew resident complaints. Five other employee raises were said to top 25% in the initial council version.

Councilors readjusted the pay rates in January to make them more in line with the initial proposal. There were no increases greater than 25% of a recipient's salary.

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Repeal of non-resident penalty denied

Mitchell's proposed repeal of the 10% pay penalty for non-resident employees in Unit C was also unanimously denied.

Mitchell had stated that it was making it more difficult to hire and retain employees in Unit C.

Morad said councilors would be willing to look at the change if Mitchell was willing to look at lifting the residency requirements for New Bedford police, fire and AFSCME employees, which he has supported.

Councilors also unanimously said no to an ordinance that would have reduced longevity benefits awarded by the council for Unit C. Mitchell stated they were excessive and unnecessary.

Councilor Naomi Carney said she supported measures to attract and retain "the best and the brightest" as city employees. "But we still have the best and the brightest working in the city, people working here a very long time." She said they've been "busting their humps for years and years but they remain the same. Why don't we pay the best and brightest we already have?"

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The council also voted down ordinances that would have given the administration pay-rate flexibility in new employee negotiations without council OK; and would have established a three-year review of the Unit C salary structure. Councilor Brad Markey was the lone councilor in favor of taking a look at the three-year review proposal. He said it seemed preferable to the major salary changes that could come with longer periods between reviews.

The council did approve of an ordinance to make the Unit C pay increases retroactive to when an employee started with the city after Oct. 1, 2022 instead of all being retroactive to Oct. 1, 2022.

Mitchell had stated the last amendment would save the city $808,000.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford City Council shoots down 4 of mayor's 5 salary ordinances