Intergovernmental Committee

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Inter-Governmental Committee convened on March 11, 2008, at 1:00 PM with CM James presiding as the meeting chair. The committee addressed four agenda items during the session, covering both personnel matters and administrative updates. The meeting included two formal votes, with the committee denying a request for CSEA Board Leave for Association Business while approving the selection of a new Vice Chair. One public comment was received during the proceedings, and the committee heard two informational presentations on employee compensation updates and general committee business items.

Attendance

The Committee meeting on March 11, 2008 had nine members present and one member absent.

Present: • James • Gray • Blues • DeCamp • Beard • Stinnett • Crosbie • Blevins • Henson

Absent: • Myers

No members arrived late to the meeting.

Votes and Decisions

The Committee took two votes during the March 11, 2008 meeting, both passing by voice vote.

CSEA Business Time and Facilities Motion CM Blues made a motion to encourage CSEA to use the flextime provision and not pursue CSEA's request to draft an ordinance formalizing 4 hours per month of work time to conduct the association's business, and that the cost for LFUCG's facilities be waived for CSEA. The motion was seconded by CM Blevins. The motion passed by voice vote with 8 ayes and 1 nay. Committee members voting in favor were James, Blues, DeCamp, Beard, Stinnett, Crosbie, Blevins, and Henson. 0:00

Compensation System Update Schedule CM Blevins made a motion to accept Mr. Barker's proposal of dates for future presentations for updates on the compensation system. CM Blues seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously by voice vote with 9 ayes and 0 nays. All committee members present voted in favor: James, Blues, DeCamp, Beard, Stinnett, Crosbie, Blevins, Henson, and Gorton. 0:00

Both motions were decided without conditions or amendments. The first motion addressed the Civil Service Employees Association's request for formalized work time and facility usage, while the second established a schedule for ongoing updates on the city's compensation system review process.

Public Comment

0:00 Paula Brown addressed the committee during the public comment period, raising concerns related to CSEA (Civil Service Employees Association) and flex time policies.

Brown expressed concerns about the denial of flex time and made a specific request regarding her vacation time. She asked for the return of vacation time that she had used to attend meetings, indicating a dispute over how her time off was being categorized or compensated in relation to her meeting attendance.

The comment highlighted potential issues with employee scheduling flexibility and the administrative handling of time off for meeting participation.

Appointments

The Committee made one appointment during the March 11, 2008 meeting.

• DeCamp was appointed as Vice Chair of the Inter-Governmental Committee

This appointment represents the Committee's action to fill a leadership position within the Inter-Governmental Committee structure. The appointment of DeCamp to the Vice Chair role indicates the Committee's confidence in their ability to serve in this capacity and help guide the Inter-Governmental Committee's work going forward.

Contested Items

The primary contested item during the March 11, 2008 Committee meeting centered on a request from the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) regarding board leave for association business.

The disagreement focused on CSEA's request for paid leave time and the use of Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG) facilities for their association activities. The discussion became heated as committee members debated the appropriateness of granting such accommodations to the employee organization.

The central concern raised during the debate was the potential precedent this decision could establish for other organizations seeking similar benefits from LFUCG. Committee members expressed worry that approving CSEA's request might obligate the government to provide comparable accommodations to additional groups or associations in the future.

The discussion involved multiple committee members weighing the merits of supporting employee association activities against the fiscal and policy implications of using public resources for such purposes. The debate highlighted tensions between supporting employee organizations and maintaining appropriate boundaries regarding the use of taxpayer-funded resources and facilities.

Ultimately, the committee denied CSEA's request for both the paid leave and facility usage. This decision reflected the committee's concerns about establishing what they viewed as a problematic precedent that could lead to increased demands on public resources from various organizations seeking similar arrangements with LFUCG.

The heated nature of this discussion underscored the complexity of balancing employee association needs with responsible stewardship of public resources and the importance of maintaining consistent policies regarding the use of government facilities and paid time for non-governmental activities.

CSEA Board Leave for Association Business

0:00

The committee discussed the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Board's request for paid leave for association business and use of Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG) facilities.

CM Blues presented the Law Department's recommendation to deny CSEA's request for paid leave for association business activities. The Law Department also recommended that any use of LFUCG facilities by CSEA should be conducted in accordance with existing Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) policy.

The discussion involved several committee members including CM Blevins, CM Kelly, CM Henson, and CM Tester, who participated in the deliberation regarding the association's request.

The committee ultimately followed the Law Department's guidance and denied the CSEA Board's request for paid leave for association business. This decision means that CSEA board members will not receive compensation from LFUCG for time spent conducting association-related activities during work hours.

Regarding facility usage, the committee determined that CSEA must comply with standard CAO policies governing the use of government facilities by outside organizations, rather than receiving any special accommodations or exemptions from existing procedures.

Employee Compensation Update

0:00 Wally Barker presented the Market Pricing Compensation Program Project Plan to the committee, focusing on significant issues with the current Mercer compensation system and outlining plans for implementing a new compensation framework.

Barker detailed problems with the existing Mercer system that have prompted the need for a comprehensive overhaul of the employee compensation structure. The presentation covered the project plan for transitioning to a new market pricing compensation program designed to better align employee pay with current market standards.

The discussion involved multiple committee members, with Gorton, Stinnett, and Allen participating in the dialogue alongside Barker's presentation. The speakers addressed various aspects of the compensation system transition, though specific details of their individual contributions and concerns raised during the discussion were part of the broader conversation about modernizing the compensation framework.

This agenda item was presented as an informational update to keep the committee informed about the ongoing compensation system project. The presentation served to brief committee members on the current status of the Market Pricing Compensation Program Project Plan and the rationale behind moving away from the existing Mercer system.

The outcome was informational in nature, with the committee receiving the update on the compensation program developments without requiring immediate action or formal decisions during this meeting.

Selection of Vice Chair

0:00 The committee addressed the selection of a Vice Chair as agenda item 3. James led the discussion on this appointment matter.

CM DeCamp was selected to serve as the Vice Chair of the committee. The selection was approved by the committee members.

No additional details about the discussion, debate, or concerns raised during this agenda item were provided in the available materials.

Update on Committee Items

0:00 The committee addressed agenda item 4, an update on ongoing committee items and future meeting planning.

James served as the primary speaker for this discussion item, providing information to the committee members about the status of various ongoing matters.

The session was structured as an informational update rather than a decision-making discussion. The committee reviewed the current status of items that have been under consideration in previous meetings and discussed plans for upcoming committee sessions.

This agenda item served as a housekeeping measure to ensure all committee members were informed about the progress of ongoing work and to coordinate future meeting schedules and priorities.

The outcome was informational in nature, with no formal actions taken or votes conducted during this portion of the meeting.