Michaelle Frey

Do not even get me started about the 9/15/04 city council briefing meeting.

Suffice it to say, the meeting was much shorter than expected. Apparently, there was nothing more to discuss budget wise, that the council had hashed out it all out in the Monday meeting. I have the tapes from Monday and will definitely listen to them.

If the tapes aggravate me enough, there may be a blow by blow here.

I am miffed to the 10th degree.

During the meeting, Councilman John Loza came out into the audience to speak to a gentleman next to me. As Loza was returning to the horseshoe, I seized the opportunity to ask him about why we were not hearing anything about the uniformed employees' offer to delay their next pay increase for the city to cover half the cost to keep our benefits low. The city would have to match the money saved from the delay.

?There?s just no money in the Budget,? he told me.

?No money? What about the $5 Million in pour rights from Dr. Pepper? What about the millions that the increased sales tax figures are unexpectedly dumping in to budget?? I asked.

He sidled past me, grimaced and shrugged. A grimace and a shrug? That is all this topic is worth?

Millions in their laps from the soda pour rights and increased sales tax revenue and NOT A PENNY for the benefits of employees currently on the city's health plan?! Oh, they did take a tiny sop and throw it towards domestic partners of gay employees. A pet project of John Loza, I might add.

When your HMO plans for single employees are LESS money than the PPO plans, you have a system seriously out of whack. Not, however, more out of whack that the priorities of our current city management and council when it comes to their employees.

A grimace and a shrug. I think not.

M. R. Frey
Steelworkers #9479

Editor's comments: If the council had not spent the money on Loza's project, they would have given it to Princess Velveeta for one of her artsy-fartsy priorities. The DP money would have helped match the uniformed personnel's offer to delay their scheduled 5% raise if the city would find the same money to put toward keeping all city employees share of health insurance premiums at last year's rates, so they would actually see some gain from whatever meager raise they get this year.