Special Board of Aldermen Public Hearing — May 20, 2020 Page 11
Chairman Dowd
Ok, thank you Mayor, if we could put the presentation down. OK. Now for those who may have logged on
late, this is the first time we are doing the Budget Presentation in this format, so be patient and everyone will
have an opportunity to speak. You will have 5 minutes; | have a timer here. When you get to 4 minutes, I'll
tell you, you have one-minute left. If you want to make a comment or if you have a question for the Division
that we are talking about and the Department, you may ask it at that time. Ve can’t go back until the end.
All questions this evening must be solely on the FY2021 Budget, no other subjects should be brought up.
Please stay on mute and no video until | call on you.
We are going to start with the Mayor’s Office and if you want to be recognized please go video or state your
name and | will call on you. Give your name and address for the record, please.
Laurie Ortolano
Hello?
Chairman Dowd
Yes? Laurie Ortolano?
Ms. Ortolano 41 Berkeley Street.
Chairman Dowd
You have 5 minutes.
Ms. Ortolano
The Mayor spoke about essential and non-essential positions and that we were holding off on non-essential
positions in the Budget. Did | understand correctly that they are in the Budget and is there a list available of
the essential and non-essential positions so that a resident can know how many positions are there and
essentially what kind of growth that put (audio cuts out) into the budget?
Chairman Dowd
Mayor, do you want to address that?
Mayor Donchess
Yes, let me unmute myself, I’m sorry. So | think | used essential and non-essential in two different ways.
Certainly in terms of who is working remotely, we have developed a list of non-essential and essential
positions that have been done by Emergency Management and a team of people, Justin Kates, and a team
of people. And what we mean there is that non-essential positions don’t have to be on the job, they can work
remotely. For example, some IT functions can be performed, even though we need those functions, they can
be performed remotely and therefore don’t encounter any COVID-19 risk. On the other hand, we have First
Responders, we have Public Works, other people who have to be on the job that cannot work remotely.
Those are the essential positions that cannot work remotely. So that’s the way those terms, at least | have
used them and the City has used them in the context of redesigning City operations to (audio cuts out) safely
with COVID-19.
