Mayoral Candidate David Gioiello targeted the city budget structure Monday and attacked opponent Mark Lauretti for ordering part-time workers' hours cut "due to the implementation of the Affordable Health Care Act."
Outside of City Hall Monday morning, Gioiello said Lauretti cut the hours of part-time workers in all departments to 29 hours a week, just below the threshold where the city must provide health benefits.
"This amounts to a 25 percent decrease in their salary. It's consistent with the mayor's philosophy about treating employees," he said.
According to an Oct. 2 memo, it came from Administrative Assistant Tom Taylor and Lauretti was copied on the memo. Lauretti did not return a call for comment.
Gioiello said Lauretti had a history of trying to cut costs by denying employees health care and trying not pay related costs, particularly when he ran his restaurant.
The cuts will also hurt residents who use services such as the Senior Center and the Community Center, Gioiello said.
The candidate added that the city's current financial practice of mixing the rainy day fund with the general fund makes it difficult for city departments to arrive at a definite budget figure.
Lauretti also must approve any spending exceeding $100 and controls hiring, instead of letting department heads make decisions, according to Gioiello.
If the mayor doesn't trust his department heads, "maybe you need to get new department heads," Gioiello said.
More Accountability
To bring transparency to City Hall, Gioiello pledged to hold meetings with the public "on a regular basis when I'm elected."
He said he's bringing on former Mayor Michael Pacowta and former Sikorsky Comptroller Wayne Bragg as unpaid advisers. Both disagree with the city's current budget model and practices.
The three said the city under Lauretti has a history of not filling open positions, particularly in the Police Department. There are 50 officers now and 61 are budgeted, but the department annually returns hundreds of thousands of dollars to the city without hiring new officers.
The mayor authorizes hiring, Gioiello said. Recently, Police Chief Joel Hurliman told the Trumbull Times he had been allowed to hire new officers.
The city also routinely bonds about $3 million a year for items such as roads that should be put into the operating budget, Gioiello said.
While there is nothing illegal in the way the city budgets, "we can manage our money better."
Pacowta said the current system could give the appearance that residents are being overtaxed.
The tax rate fell slightly this year. But Gioiello vowed to work for free if he's elected and taxes increase for the 2014-2015 fiscal year.
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