April 20, 2020
To: Board of Aldermen
Budget Review Committee Members
Good Morning,
| would like this email to be communication for public input. | am concerned by the lack of
communication from both boards regarding staffing and manpower in our city government.
There have been some email communication from Aldermen and City officials that indicate that
all employee working from home are performing their duties to the full extent of their job
descriptions. This is an unreasonable summary.
Some of our City employees have job description whose work is dependent on customer
service. Additionally, | believe we have management and supervisory positions within City Hail
that should be closely reviewed and reduced.
At the last Budget review meeting, Alderman Dowd asked about costs saving in building
utilities. The Mayor commented that those savings would amount to little as 80% of the budget
is employees. Why are the Boards not asking for manpower reductions?
One City official wrote in an email that union contracts would be an obstacle to paying partial
pay to employees and that many employees were working 7 days a week because of the COVID
issue. Many employees is not ALL employees? Have the Boards asked for a workload list for all
employees? Certainly, each department head could produce that report. Why is furloughing not
an option?
Discussions | would like to hear at the Board table would include:
e Furloughing employees
e Reducing Management and supervisors
e Estimates in writing of the potential revenue reduction
e The impact of COVID on funding the self-insured city health care system
e How many employees eligible for the high deductible plan have signed up for that plan.
({ don’t know the exact date of the enrollment period.
e Is the City willing to eliminate the high interest late fees for delinquent tax payments?
e [read an article in the Union Leader about the City funding a program (COVID-19 Impact
Program), similar to Manchester to assist small businesses. The Mayor sent a letter to
the Human Affairs committee on April 13, 2020 regarding this program. As loans are
granted, will this information be public? Are downtown business given preferential or
priority treatment and what other opportunity zones do we have? (This information has
