[0:00] they totally tiny all small Department

[0:02] you guys were all excited like

[0:06] toally last night honestly my leg and I

[0:09] didn't eat before we came and I was you

[0:13] here oh my God it was so

[0:20] [Music]

[0:22] cold I got sweater I haven't like I got

[0:25] to pull out all my sweaters I got to

[0:27] pull out all my sweaters ah car oh so

[0:30] we're

[0:32] [Music]

[0:33] good is

[0:38] it I have a tab of all the

[0:41] department so I will just go from the to

[0:43] right down and

[0:58] clear who wants to go

[1:01] first I'd like

[1:04] to I'd like to call to order the city

[1:06] council committee meeting for Friday

[1:10] October 13th 2023 and turn to M ven

[1:14] thank you once again and this evening

[1:17] well I would like to call recall finance

[1:20] committee to order and we'll continue

[1:23] our final budget hearing for

[1:27] 2024 with uh regards to the department

[1:30] heads and this evening we'll go straight

[1:32] into human resource and I have um Derek

[1:35] just give us a brief and then have

[1:37] department head few key num tell us

[1:39] what's going on few Key Resources Cod

[1:44] 1430 uh the adopted budget for 2023 we

[1:49] looking at $ 58,4

[1:51] 24 the 24 proposed budget open at$

[1:54] [Music]

[1:56] 38454 24% decrease for Le that also a

[2:00] three aill decrease uh from the 23

[2:04] adopted

[2:05] budget very good follow the years to

[2:08] give us a summary what's happening in

[2:09] your department and anything that we

[2:11] need to know yep of course I want to say

[2:13] thank you all for taking your time out

[2:15] have your busy Fridays to sit with us

[2:17] here today um uh I'm Maryanne I'm the

[2:21] Human Resources Director for the city um

[2:24] I have been in my position for about two

[2:25] years now um overseeing peral benefits

[2:28] which are all

[2:30] um so right now we are doing fairly okay

[2:34] we are down one staff member um but

[2:37] that's just for Civil Service rules we

[2:39] have to wait until um we are able to

[2:42] hire off a list from an exam that um

[2:45] took place over the summer we now know

[2:47] that we can post for that position

[2:48] provisionally so I am posting for the

[2:51] pero audit clerk position which is

[2:53] currently vacant um so that will be

[2:56] filled hopefully in the next few weeks

[2:59] um you know given that we find the

[3:02] appropriate and that qualified

[3:04] candidate um you know just going through

[3:07] our budget here um you know we went

[3:10] through it thoroughly um the only thing

[3:13] that I see that might be a discrepancy

[3:14] and you know I asked for initially um

[3:17] was our payroll manager salary um we

[3:20] have our payroll manager currently

[3:22] budgeted for six 56 to 65 but if you

[3:26] look just below we have our personel

[3:28] benefits cler thinking a little bit more

[3:30] than our Peril manager um so I I ask

[3:33] that we if you can consider um you know

[3:37] thinking about putting that payroll

[3:39] manager at 60k straight um Britney

[3:42] cogman is currently in that position she

[3:44] has exceeded abundantly in her duties

[3:47] and everyday

[3:48] responsibilities um I think she's well

[3:50] deserving of that salary requirement um

[3:54] and that's just all I ask for today I

[3:57] just I just want to add to that that

[3:58] Britney's management and and the the

[4:00] benefit clerk is uh csca what happened

[4:04] was that the csca besides getting all

[4:06] their Races they also had steps where

[4:08] management doesn't have steps so so even

[4:10] though she supervised them she'll be

[4:12] making less to them so we're trying to

[4:14] get get her to be a little bit overhead

[4:16] you know so if we were to increase the

[4:19] payable management it wouldn't affect

[4:21] the Union at all no no he would just

[4:24] continue to move up in his steps as he

[4:26] normally would um whereas you know she's

[4:30] she she just gets the management just as

[4:33] a reminder that's not um that's not

[4:36] name just

[4:39] for to protect employees um

[4:43] confidentiality um let's not attaching

[4:45] into any staffing position or we can

[4:48] talk generically about the position yeah

[4:51] go ahead

[4:52] please go ahead please I was just

[4:54] wondering if the three positions um that

[4:56] were not uh filling were they filled

[4:59] before or have they been vacant yes so

[5:02] the three that were I think they were

[5:04] recently budgeted for 2023 um fairly new

[5:08] they have been vacant we haven't filled

[5:09] it the HR

[5:11] administrator or the HR assistant

[5:14] ips3 um with all of our staff changes we

[5:17] just hadn't had a chance to fill that

[5:18] one um we would have had to create a

[5:21] position with civil service specifically

[5:24] for the HR assistant so we didn't move

[5:26] forward with that one the other two were

[5:29] um

[5:30] the affirmative action office those were

[5:33] never fulfilled um provided that I've

[5:37] you know given the affirmative action

[5:39] officer multiple candidates to hire off um we did not hire for those

[5:45] position and I I don't have an answer

[5:47] for you time that's you know well I

[5:49] think what Ryan is is just not ready for

[5:51] that step yet you know okay yeah were

[5:54] these uh were these candidate qualified

[5:56] yes yeah so they pass all the

[5:58] requirement rules

[6:01] well I gave him a pool to choose from so

[6:04] usually what we do is he'll give me his

[6:06] top two three candidates R through by

[6:08] service before moving forward with

[6:10] interviews sure yeah um yeah so um I

[6:14] understand that process what I don't

[6:16] understand is that we wrote it out of

[6:17] the budget because um and this I'll just

[6:20] for general information we have other

[6:21] place other positions that are not build

[6:24] and then we don't write them out of the

[6:25] budget so I'm not clear why we're

[6:26] writing these out of the budget um I'm

[6:28] not entire sure CU they they've been

[6:31] vacant for the whole year so we're just

[6:33] you know we're you know we're looking

[6:35] for cost savings this because they

[6:38] they're not filling his positions we're

[6:39] like okay it's you know they it's not

[6:42] needed yet he's not ready for it yet

[6:44] yeah but we have other positions that we

[6:46] haven't filled no I know caring them and

[6:49] caring said Ron's not ready for these

[6:50] positions yet for the supervisor is

[6:52] basically saying you doesn't need them

[6:54] right now right now he doesn't Okay so

[6:57] he's not here go was saying he he will

[7:00] yeah the other vacancies have been

[7:02] pre-existing those positions have been

[7:04] embedded in the Departments for years

[7:06] and those are our top need fill

[7:09] positions whereas these positions are

[7:11] newly created we've given the

[7:13] affirmative action officer 10 plus

[7:15] months at this point to fill those

[7:17] positions with multiple candidates um

[7:20] and we didn't see anything being moved

[7:22] forward so I I assume that as well we

[7:24] cut it out of the

[7:26] budget that's my guess so you had

[7:29] conversation with the

[7:32] um a while back with did

[7:34] yeah um so is he aware of those

[7:37] positions have been cut I think that's

[7:38] important to never well I I told him it

[7:40] was going to happen you know so I don't

[7:42] know if he went to the mayor did he come

[7:44] to you

[7:46] guys so obviously

[7:50] yeah okay just so you know everybody

[7:53] knows I am ask him about that because at

[7:56] least I'm going to ask

[7:58] him

[8:00] no it it is something that we asked for

[8:03] because look at all the work that the

[8:05] projects getting all the workload that

[8:06] he is getting in the office and can he

[8:09] keep up with the work that he getting

[8:11] and can he administer the contracts and

[8:13] to make sure that people are submitting

[8:15] their mwb and being compliance for a one

[8:18] person to function in this this whole

[8:21] what I would say a

[8:22] department it's hard well I I think he

[8:25] wanted more of this the staff

[8:27] for uh the Empowerment

[8:31] Center and not for what he you know what

[8:33] he does regularly yeah but um I don't

[8:36] that's not what that was not our intent

[8:38] filling that that that was our intent

[8:39] was for him to do the work that you know

[8:41] with the city to make sure all the

[8:43] contracts is Mr M said that was our

[8:44] intent he's doing that so well that that

[8:48] yeah exactly that was the intent for

[8:49] people to help him to review the

[8:51] contract so he focus on the top level

[8:53] stuff and have a system to help him

[8:55] along with the contract like you says

[8:56] you know we've gave him you know plenty

[8:58] of uh things to hire from you know it's

[9:01] not like we H them unaccountable well

[9:05] say we should hold every to the same

[9:07] standard because this has happened in

[9:08] other departments as well so let's just

[9:10] yeah well this you know Ron's a good

[9:12] friend of mine list list I I don't want

[9:14] you I don't want you think that no look

[9:16] this has nothing to do with

[9:17] relationships I just want to make sure

[9:18] that we're doing this on a consistent

[9:20] basis so you going to ask yes I can we

[9:23] ask that we have a Wednesday yes can we

[9:27] please yes have r explain us to us why

[9:30] because we he had to cut it and then he

[9:33] we were asked to put this in and all of

[9:34] us supported it because of the workload

[9:36] he was getting because of the many

[9:37] contract arpa contract cdbg general

[9:40] contract across the board he asked for

[9:43] help we provided help and now cutting it

[9:46] like I said we

[9:47] provide we hear from him so Wednesday

[9:49] we'll hear from him and then forward and

[9:51] I just want to note that we did also

[9:53] have an HR assistant physician also in

[9:56] the same situation it was vacant for so

[9:58] long cutting it because we did not fill

[10:00] it so it's been only vacant a year the

[10:02] other one that you cut uh all three have

[10:05] been vacant so the HR System would have

[10:08] been you know within the HR department

[10:10] same duration as the clerical aid for

[10:12] attor of action as well as the program

[10:14] coordinators so we're keeping it uniform

[10:16] across the board it's not you know I

[10:18] mean just in your department I mean no

[10:20] yeah I mean I I have to say this this is

[10:24] the only Department I'm seeing the

[10:25] vacancies that is not fill is getting

[10:28] cut

[10:29] other department there are vacancies and

[10:32] we adding more more open position on top

[10:35] of it I think I think the big difference

[10:37] is that these these uh uh positions were

[10:40] never in the books before whereas the

[10:42] other P positions were in the books

[10:44] before and that's why they always try to

[10:46] get them on so we're just saying that

[10:49] you know because they're not being

[10:51] filled with figur you know not need them

[10:54] but when they are needed we'll fill them

[10:57] no I understand you know I've said that

[11:00] many many years on this I'm just letting

[11:02] you know what every department is vital

[11:05] for the city to survive and when we're

[11:08] cutting and cutting people out and

[11:10] bringing them well there's nobody was

[11:11] ever there so we're not really cutting

[11:12] them out cuz nobody was ever there we

[11:14] need to fill

[11:15] them well let's hear from Ron because

[11:17] maybe he'll say we don't need to fill

[11:19] them so I think that's an important can

[11:21] you please touch on the part salary just

[11:23] below that Y what is our comprise um we

[11:26] currently have someone she's been in

[11:27] this position for about a year and a

[11:29] half almost two years now um and it's

[11:31] just her part-time clerk she is very

[11:34] much a support staff um and much needed

[11:36] since we've been at of the heral audit

[11:38] clerk um our part-time clerk has been

[11:43] you know kind of assuming some of those

[11:44] duties as far as running payroll and you

[11:47] know all that great stuff so um she's

[11:50] very much

[11:52] needed Keep Her On go ahead please was

[11:55] she's not interested in like one of the

[11:56] full-time the full-time position that

[11:58] you had that was open she's not

[11:59] interested she she's a unique case she's

[12:01] already retired so this is kind of like

[12:03] a part time yeah so she's already um

[12:06] this is just kind of for fun but we she

[12:09] really is we're trying to

[12:11] help yeah no she is no we want her to

[12:14] work yeah y she's she's awesome she's

[12:18] been great yeah all right any other

[12:20] question for go ahead please uh just as

[12:23] a point of clarity that HR assistant

[12:25] that you said is being removed from the

[12:26] budget is that able to be like a

[12:29] effectively absorve back into your

[12:30] workload um yeah I mean I I've been

[12:34] doing my job and more for the past two

[12:37] years so it was really more so for

[12:39] someone to handle the day-to-day things

[12:41] like phone calls and emails and going

[12:43] through applications which I still do

[12:46] today um just so I can lessen my

[12:49] workload but you know it's doable I can

[12:51] continue doing it try to do the best

[12:53] that I can um but if you know what's

[12:56] needed for the Department right now I

[12:58] think is is going back to the Peril

[13:01] manager um just kind of foring that

[13:05] 60k if

[13:08] possible so when you said doing a work

[13:10] are you doing daily work on top of

[13:13] monitoring as part yes sir I am when you

[13:17] say HR I am HR you're

[13:21] also yeah so you know it's been working

[13:25] I think you've been doing a great job

[13:27] and I enjoy what I do you all right yeah

[13:31] any other questions for this department

[13:34] we don't have anything capital for this

[13:36] see no questions thank you very much

[13:39] have a good evening and a good weekend

[13:41] yes you too thank you thank

[13:44] you

[13:47] [Music]

[13:52] you okay so this is page

[13:56] five and then we ask give us assessment

[14:00] Cod

[14:01] [Music]

[14:03] 1355 the adoped budget 2023

[14:08] 24583 proposed 24 budget looking at 3

[14:12] 4,538 only 7%

[14:18] increase give us a summary what's going

[14:20] on um

[14:23] so trying to remember what I um the

[14:27] expenses for

[14:30] membership uh sorry going down to 402

[14:33] line 402 I mean salary I guess I'll

[14:36] start with salary see start from salary

[14:38] and then work the B I don't know I had

[14:41] asked for a certain amount I'm not sure

[14:44] what was put in by I I don't know what

[14:48] was put in by Anthony I I had passed a

[14:50] test 4% 4% can never gave I I think I I

[14:54] asked for a little bit more than that I

[14:55] had put in or I had taken a test um this year that I passed on the first try

[15:00] which most assessors don't do and it's

[15:03] it gives me by the board of regions the

[15:05] top level of um I have the highest

[15:08] certification I can have as an assessor

[15:10] in the state of New York so I I think I

[15:13] asked for a little more than the 4% um

[15:16] I'm fine with whatever I just I feel

[15:18] like I have done a pretty decent job for

[15:21] the city and I'm you know I mean so I

[15:24] guess I was looking for that um I also

[15:27] put in a little more for Nancy

[15:29] um she

[15:37] is let's not put them on his spot to the

[15:39] public sorry um real property analyst

[15:42] she's the only other management position

[15:44] so when I'm out of the office there's a

[15:46] little more responsibility for her um

[15:49] and so I I wanted to try to honor her in

[15:51] that way um she's getting to the point

[15:54] where she's considering retirement in

[15:55] the next couple of years so I just you

[15:57] know again it was is more of a you've

[15:59] done a great job thank you for covering

[16:01] when I've been out of the

[16:03] office um the rest of it the the other

[16:05] three positions in the office we do have

[16:07] the deputy assessor line um and there's

[16:10] nothing in there I don't want to take

[16:11] that necessarily out of the budget

[16:13] because at some point for succession

[16:15] planning that's a really optimal thing

[16:19] to have in there for someone else to

[16:21] come in it's not in there it's there's

[16:24] okay there's a sorry there was a line in

[16:26] mine but it doesn't have any I I was it

[16:29] doesn't have any money yeah there's no

[16:32] salary but I don't want to take it out

[16:33] of there so is that a new theut the

[16:36] position has it been there for years no

[16:38] it's been there since so that's how I

[16:40] came into the position that was how I

[16:42] was hired so that because I didn't have

[16:46] necessarily I had I needed six months of

[16:48] experience so that was what happened I

[16:51] had the six months as a deputy assessor

[16:54] at the time I came in so that I

[16:56] fulfilled the requirements wasn't it's

[16:58] not a civil service thing but it is it's

[17:01] kind of a civil service thing so I just

[17:04] I apologize it's it's in my line here it

[17:06] doesn't have any salary in it so I don't

[17:09] we just just clean it up yeah it's not

[17:11] in our budget here so that it's removed

[17:13] from our so um so that's the salary

[17:16] stuff the rest the the rest of the

[17:18] positions are um civil service positions

[17:22] so they have the steps and those are

[17:23] already added in here um I do want to

[17:26] ask about the data collector sure

[17:31] Mr Ferrari that looks like it's a little

[17:32] bit more than 4% yeah but I think she

[17:34] also get a step too she get a step at

[17:36] the

[17:38] 4.4% she gave step plus we'll take a

[17:40] look at it but I'm PR sure that's what

[17:42] it is you think that's what that is yeah

[17:44] double check okay can you also look at

[17:46] the real property appraiser also the

[17:49] what appraiser the one above that yeah that could be also steps

[17:57] and step and 4% 4 I don't know if it's a

[18:00] step and four I I just 44% the numbers

[18:03] that I was given so for those go ahead

[18:07] please is the real property analyst also

[18:10] a um is it management or is it um real

[18:13] property analyst is actually management

[18:15] yes and so the real property at

[18:18] appraiser is that person um at a higher

[18:21] level then thank you and there there's

[18:24] licensure requirements for that position

[18:27] gotcha

[18:30] so the City Assessor and the real

[18:32] property analyst is management position

[18:34] cor and all the rest falls on the csca

[18:38] yes go ahead please so I wouldn't want you to disclose those

[18:42] amounts for your requested uh position

[18:44] and that of the real property analyst

[18:46] how do we get

[18:47] those like your recommended figure um we

[18:51] have copies so you provided so can i'

[18:54] like if you can email that to us please

[18:56] all the

[18:57] members

[18:59] oh yeah miss m get a distribute to thank

[19:03] you um so the next let's see longevity I

[19:07] think is is what it is that's there's no

[19:10] question there um and then equipment is

[19:14] the same um the so our Parcels have gone

[19:18] down we've managed to like merge a lot

[19:20] of the parcels that we have so uh New

[19:22] York State requires us to pay for the

[19:25] system that we use so that they can I

[19:28] mean it's crazy but so that they

[19:30] understand how many Parcels we have in

[19:32] the city and all the information that we

[19:34] have here we've gone down in par so we

[19:53] [Music]

[19:57] lost

[19:58] [Music]

[21:27] think

[21:32] [Music]

[21:57] is

Schenectady 2024 Budget Meeting, October 13, 2023 - Part 1

Transcript