City manager declines pay bonus

City Manager Judy Gilleland said she plans to decline the $3,750 bonus and five extra vacation days offered to her by Middletown City Council after six of the city’s eight public employee unions came out strongly against the benefit proposal.

“I appreciate the sentiments behind City Council’s offer of a longevity benefit. Having the confidence of City Council means a great deal to a city manager,” Gilleland said Saturday in a written statement to The Journal. “At this time, I will stand by my employees and decline the benefit. The city of Middletown employees and I remain committed to improving Middletown and look forward to a bright future.”

Gilleland’s decision came less than 24 hours after leaders of the police, fire, public works, corrections and dispatchers unions, which represent between 200 to 225 of the city’s 350 employees, issued a joint statement, saying that such perks for the city manager would be unacceptable when the “working-class” people they represent haven’t received pay raises in years.

City Council is expected to vote Tuesday night on a pay and benefits ordinance that includes a section allowing Gilleland to begin collecting annually longevity pay — or 3 percent of her $125,000 base salary — next year. She would also receive five more vacations days, giving her a total of 27. Longevity pay, which is common in municipal government, is a type of bonus for an employee who works decades for a city.

The ordinance council will vote on would change the current rules, which allow longevity pay to be dispersed at 1 percent after 10 years, 2 percent after 15 years and 3 percent after 20 years. Gilleland, and future city managers, would be eligible to receive the full 3 percent after just five years.

But with Gilleland saying she won’t accept the benefit, the ordinance — or at least the parts pertaining to the city manager — could be a dead issue.

In a statement to The Journal on Friday, union leaders called for Gilleland to “lead by example” and make the same financial sacrifices she has asked of her employees.

“As our current contracts read, there are zero pay increases for the life expectancy of our contracts,” the unions’ statement reads. “How is it that the city manager can ask us to take zero percent in pay increases, but advocate one for herself?”

Mayor Larry Mulligan said the city manager did not ask for any special perks and that the ordinance under consideration was suggested by council members. He said city managers don’t typically stay in one position for long and longevity pay “recognizes the importance of the position and the challenges of the position.”

“It’s a tough position and I doubt we have a city manager around here for 20 years,” Mulligan said.

Chris Klug, vice president of IAFF Local 336, said the unions’ solidarity “is not a witch hunt” for the city manager.

“She’s done some good things, but so has the fire services, the police department and other unions,” Klug said.

Klug said while the city’s bargaining units have agreed to help the city get through recent tough economic times, “we’re just asking her to do the same thing.”

Mulligan said he appreciates the willingness of the unions membership to accept no pay increases in their last contracts, but noted over the past decade the city’s unions have received pay raises when non-organized employees have not.

Law Director Les Landen said all of the city’s bargaining units have contracts and some perks have been added to show goodwill toward them, including allowing vacation and sick time to be cashed in early. The city just offered its two police unions a one-time $600 signing bonus for each member and made a similar deal with its transit union, he said.