Council Hikes Holiday Bonus for City Workers

After ending the year in the black, members of the Fredericksburg City Council have approved a budget measure increasing bonuses for many city employees this year. The measure passed with a vote of six to one with Ward Two Councilor Fred Howe voting against.

The City Council already has agreed to set aside $80,000 of the year end fund balance to increase the bonus from $850 to $1,000 for full-time employees. In all, the bonuses will cost the city $440,000.

In a slightly unusual step, the City Council took both first and second votes on the measure during the meeting. Budget amendments, along with changes to the city code and many other council measures require two votes to be formally approved. Usually, those votes are held on separate meetings.

However, City Manager Beverly Cameron asked members of the City Council to approve on first and second read tonight, saying that the council has already discussed the end result of the bonus when approving the budget amendments necessary to set aside money for additional bonuses.

"Staff would appreciate confirmation of the prior decisions as soon as possible, both from an employer and an employee perspective," reads a memo from Cameron. "From an employer perspective, the staff will be preparing the bonus as a special payroll on Friday, Nov. 18, so that the bonus is in place prior to the holiday season."

"From an employee perspective, employees are making plans for the bonus, and it would be good for them to know as soon as possible if council wishes to alter course," continues the memo.

The measure was opposed by Howe, who has repeatedly called for the bonus to be scrapped in favor of a full on pay raises for city employees.

"We have created two classes of employees," said Howe "The fact that we are not rewarding our staff equally on all sides is troubling."

Howe has frequently cited what he considers a pay disparity between employees of the Fredericksburg Public School System, who received a three percent increase in salary and benefits from the School Board earlier this year, and non-school city employees who only received an $850 one-time bonus.

"We are disproportionately rewarding one team member in our city staff disproportionately to the other critical and valuable team members," "So, I feel if we are going to treat one the same, we treat all the same"

Under the revised bonus plan, full-time employees will now receive a $1,000 bonus. Part-time employees averaging more than 30 hours a week will receive $750, part-time employees averaging between 20 and 29 hours a week will receive a $500 bonus, and all other part time employees will receive a $250 bonus.