The City Council was not invited to this year’s annual barbecue,
and some members see it as retaliation for cutbacks handed down
earlier this year. And while city employees are saying the lack of
an invite was not intentional, council members see the issue as an
opportunity to discuss how to improve morale at City Hall.
The City Council was not invited to this year’s annual barbecue, and some members wonder if it is retaliation for cutbacks handed down earlier this year. And while city employees are saying the lack of an invite was not intentional, council members see the issue as an opportunity to discuss how to improve morale at City Hall.
Each year, city employees gather for a barbecue where staffers are honored with service awards. For the past two years, however, the council has not funded the event amidst severe funding cutbacks. During these two years, employees hosted an extended potluck luncheon in the barbecue’s stead.
Employees who hosted this year’s event opted not to invite City Council members, and Councilman Craig Gartman says the omission was deliberate. In response, Councilwoman Cat Tucker is calling for the council to discuss improving city employee morale at a Nov. 2 meeting.
Gartman said a city staff member told him that council members were intentionally not invited to the event. Many employees look forward to the service awards each year, but this year they only received certificates.
“I try to go to all of those events, even if I show up late,” Gartman said.
A city employee appreciation committee, which organizes several events throughout the year, asked city administrators whether they could have an extended potluck lunch in lieu of the barbecue, Human Resources Director and Risk Manager LeeAnn McPhillips said.
City Clerk Shawna Freels, who sits on that committee, said the group merged with the dwindling city barbecue committee this year. The employee appreciation committee organizes events that are specifically geared toward city staff and does not typically invite council members to their events. McPhillips said no formal invitations were sent out for this year’s event and City Administrator Tom Haglund said he did not think organizers intentionally tried to snub anyone.
Yet, the council was invited to the 2008 potluck, and Tucker said she felt the council was slighted. Still, she empathized with employees.
“I understand their feelings,” she said. “That really makes me understand how bad (the situation) really is.”
Both Gartman and Tucker said they did not recall ever voting on eliminating the barbecue, and they would not have done so intentionally.
“To take away a … morale booster doesn’t seem to be sending the right message,” he said.
However, the council did vote in May 2008 – on the recommendation of city department heads – to eliminate the barbecue and the employee awards among nearly $6 million in budget cuts. The city saved $10,531 on the barbecue and $15,648 on the awards.
Mayor Al Pinheiro said that those in the private sector have had to make similar difficult decisions, and he believed the cuts were worth it if it has helped saved city jobs. At the same time, he hoped that city employees knew that they were appreciated.
“It’s very important that employees understand that we as a council value what they’re doing very much, and that we are a team,” Pinheiro said.
Some of the ideas Tucker wants the council to explore to improve employee morale include providing special Christmas gifts for employees or having groups of 10 randomly picked employees meet with members of the council during a luncheon, she said. Such morale-boosting events are important as it allows employees to know that city leaders care about them, she said.
“The money is worth it,” she said.
