City Workers Watching Budget Battle

With a 3% percent pay raise and bilingual stipends on the line, several members of  HOPE, the city employees’ union, (I assume they aren’t on duty)  are sitting in the council chambers watching as the Mayor and council members begin the budget adoption process.

Mayor Parker has proposed a balanced budget totaling about $4.1 Billion.

But city council member Mike Sullivan has proposed deferring the employee pay raise.

Council member Anne Clutterbuck wants to eliminate some bilingual stipends. The $75 paycheck bonus is paid to city employees who say they are often called on to translate for non-english speaking constituents who have questions about city services. 

The meeting is expected to last all day.

Mayor Parker just announced that council will break at noon for lunch and have a  “cookies and milk” break in the afternoon, which caused some council members to chuckle.

It’s going to be a long day.