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Home My WebLink AboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 10/05/2021 - RESOLUTION 2021-095 RECOGNIZING AND EXPRESSING GRA Agenda Item 21 Item # 21 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY October 5, 2021 City Council STAFF Kelly DiMartino, Interim City Manager Teresa Roche, Chief Human Resources Officer Jamie Heckman, Compensation and Technology Manager Ryan Malarky, Legal SUBJECT Resolution 2021-095 Recognizing and Expressing Gratitude to City Employees for Delivering Exceptional City Service to the Community During a Pandemic and Nearby Forest Fires and Authorizing a One -Time Payment to Eligible City Employees. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to recognize and express gratitude to all eligible City employees in the form of a one-time payment. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Resolution. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION Members of Council and City leadership would like to recognize and express gratitude in the form of a one- time payment to the many City employees who were required to be onsite or in the community on a regular basis during the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 wildfires. During COVID, many employees we re directly exposed to the public health emergency, experienced a heightened level of risk to themselves and their families, and continued to provide uninterrupted, critical City services to the community. Over one thousand employee lives were affected due to being exposed, displayed COVID symptoms or were confirmed positive for COVID-19 resulting in mandatory quarantines. Six hundred hourly employees were furloughed and a hiring freeze was implemented and increased workloads on many teams . Council and City leadership also recognizes the significant multi-dimensional impact that the pandemic and fires have had on the entire workforce. During this time, we had increased turnover combined with a hiring freeze causing increased workload. City employees demonst rated resilience, adaptability, and flexibility during times of increased stress, personal hardship, and financial uncertainty. The gratitude payment is intended to reflect the time frame the organization was most impacted by the COVID - 19 pandemic and the wildfires from spring 2020 through spring 2021. Only employees employed by the City as of or before June 7, 2021, will be eligible, and employees must have been employed by the City through the date that the payment will be issued. Agenda Item 21 Item # 21 Page 2 To provide a meaningful recognition to all employees and differentiate for those required a substantial share of the time to be onsite or in the community from those who were not, the following after -tax payment structure is planned for Classified, Contractual, Unclassified Management (regular, year-round) employees: • Onsite Employees: $1,500 • All other Employees: $1,000 The City's Hourly (fluctuating, seasonal) employees are a critical segment of the workforce, with work hours that can vary drastically across the population. The following after-tax payment structure is planned as a tiered approach based on contribution levels from June 2020 - May 2021: • 20+ Hours / Week Average: $500 • 8-20 Hours / Week Average: $250 • < 8 Hours / Week Average: $100 The one-time payment amounts will be increased by 30% to account for most payroll taxes so that each employee receives a net payment in the amounts outlined above. An employee’s specific tax situation could increase or decrease the net payment by a small percentage. CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS The estimated cost of the gratitude payment is approximately $2.9 million and, if approved, it will be funded through 2021 budget underspend, primarily within personnel costs. No additional appropriation is required. ATTACHMENTS 1. Powerpoint Presentation (PDF) Presented by: Gratitude Payment to City Employees October 5, 2021 Kelly DiMartino Interim City Manager Te resa Roche Chief Human Resources Officer ATTACHMENT 1 •Recognition and gratitude to eligible City employees for delivering exceptional City services to the community during a pandemic and nearby forest fires •Over 1,000 employee lives were affected due to being exposed, displayed symptoms, or were confirmed positive for COVID-19 •Additional recognition for regular, year-round employees who were required to be onsite or in the community on a regular basis •Fluctuating and seasonal workforce tiered based on contribution levels 2Summary 3Planned Structure Employee Group Estimated Population Am ount (after-tax) “Onsite” employees 1000 $1,500 All other employees 530 $1,000 Employee Group Estimated Population Am ount (after-tax) 20+ Hours / Week Avg 100 $500 8-20 Hours / Week Avg 250 $250 <8 Hours / Week Avg 300 $100 Classified, Contractual, Unclassified Management Hourly Based on the assumptions above, the estimated cost is approximately $2.9M and, if approved, will be funded through 2021 budget underspend, primarily within personnel costs. THANK YOU! -1- RESOLUTION 2021-095 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS RECOGNIZING AND EXPRESSING GRATITUDE TO CITY EMPLOYEES FOR DELIVERING EXCEPTIONAL CITY SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY DURING A PANDEMIC AND NEARBY FOREST FIRES AND AUTHORIZING A ONE-TIME PAYMENT TO ELIGIBLE CITY EMPLOYEES WHEREAS, the City organization has been substantially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the most significant impacts to City employees seen from Spring 2020 through Spring 2021; and WHEREAS, many City employees have been required to work onsite or in the community on a regular basis during that time, which increased their exposure to the public health emergency and heightened the risk to themselves and their families; and WHEREAS, during 2020 and into 2021 many City employees were also called upon to respond to and then recover from and restore City facilities and services in response to record - breaking forest fires; and WHEREAS, during this time, those employees working onsite or in the community have continued to provide uninterrupted and critical City services to the public; and WHEREAS, the pandemic has had a significant, multi-dimensional impact on the entire workforce, including those employees whose jobs allowed them the opportunity to work remotely or in a hybrid model; and WHEREAS, all employees have demonstrated resilience, adaptability, and flexibility during these times of increased stress, personal hardship and financial insecurity; and WHEREAS, the City Council has determined that it is in the best interests of the City to recognize the contributions made by City employees who did, and continue to, provide services for the public benefit while facing the significant challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 nearby forest fires and their effects; and WHEREAS, the City Council has determined that a one-time payment to all City employees as set forth below is an appropriate way to recognize those contributions and to express its gratitude. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS that the City Council expresses its sincere appreciation and gratitude to all City employees for delivering exceptional City services in these challenging times, and be it furthermore RESOLVED: Section 1. That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and findings in the recitals set forth above. -2- Section 2. That the Interim City Manager is hereby authorized to issue a one-time after-tax payment to eligible City employees totaling approximately $2.9 Million dollars, consistent with the following: Classified, Contractual, and Unclassified Management (regular, year-round) employees - “Onsite” employees: $1,500.00 each. - All other employees: $1,000.00 each. Hourly (fluctuating, seasonal) employees For the period June 2020 through May 2021: - For those who worked an average of more than twenty hours per week: $500.00 each. - For those who worked an average of between eight and twenty hours per week: $250.00 each. - For those who worked less than eight hours per week: $100.00 each. Section 3. That to be eligible, employees must have been employed by the City on or before June 7, 2021, and must continue to be employed by the City through the date the payment is issued. Section 4. That the Interim City Manager, in consultation with the City Attorney, is authorized to determine what constitutes “onsite” work. Section 5. That said payments require no appropriation of funds because they will be funded through funds already appropriated and available for expenditure in 2021. Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the Council of the City of Fort Collins this 5th day of October, A.D. 2021. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________ Interim City Clerk