Local 1845 upset with commissioners

On Feb. 23, Vinnie O’Connor sent a letter to the Island County commissioners on behalf of Local 1845, detailing its members’ displeasure with the board’s approval of a new position within the planning department.

Union members are also upset about Budget Director Elaine Marlow’s recommendation, and the board’s approval, of allowing the planning department to hire for a position that was vacated March 5 at a higherthan beginning pay-grade.

“Effectively, two positions were approved at a pay-grade above entry level,” O’Connor said in a memorandum.

Marlow said she made her recommendation regarding the vacated position to “give the planning director some flexibility to hire someone with experience so we don’t have to spend six months training someone fresh out of school.”

“Historically,” she continued, “we look for planners with experience. If you find someone with experience, you need to be able to pay them appropriately.”

In his letter to the commissioners, O’Connor detailed why the Local 1845 members were angry:

“Recently you asked us to make a significant sacrifice to our wages … the only way to keep the county budget intact without losing many more positions. Our membership graciously gave … from our own personal budgets to protect those positions that would otherwise be lost,” O’Connor wrote in reference to the union’s December decision to accept a reduced workweek of 37.5 hours for its employees, saving the county $230,000.

“Now,” O’Connor continued, “not more than two months after our labor agreement has been signed, you are allowing a department head to create an entirely new position in a department that receives funding from the general funds … it is entirely inappropriate to hire for new positions until all furloughed hours are restored.”

O’Connor said Local 1845 wants to see better communication and a clarity of vision.

He noted the union has also filed a grievance because mere weeks after agreeing to reduce hours, handpicked employees were reinstated to 40-hour work weeks.

“The members have a morale issue,” O’Connor said. “They wanted to support the commissioners, and they feel like ‘we came here to help, and now look where our money is going.’”

O’Connor said commissioners’ actions sent “a clear message that you wish to exploit the cheaper labor costs that have been leveraged through the recent economic hardships.”

Marlow said the county is working on the communication issues related to funding, and that a meeting is scheduled for the end of March.

In regards to creating a new position, Marlow said the planning department is seeking to “increase capacity in an effort to get permits out the door in a timely manner.”

Bob Pederson, Island County’s planning director, said the “development community is very concerned about the time delay issue in land-use permits.”

“State law requires permits be processed within 120 days. Our own zoning has the same time frame – even shorter for some permits,” Pederson said. “We’re not meeting those deadlines.”

One of the reasons the department isn’t meeting deadlines, Pederson continued, is because it “lost a lot of people due to budget cuts.”

The department is seeking to increase their ability through permit tracking software and the additional position.

“We first presented this need in November and December of last year,” Pederson said.

The permit fee schedule was increased at that time, with the plan in mind that additional revenue from fees would fund the new position. First, though, Pederson said, the 2010 budget and fee schedule had to be adopted. Then, the department tracked January’s revenue and compared it to last year.

“Revenue (from fees) is up this January compared to January 2009,” Pederson said. Because the department projects revenue will continue at this increased rate, we’re “taking formal action to fill the (proposed) position.”

In addition, with respect to rehiring for the vacated assistant planner position at above beginning pay-grade, Pederson said the board has authorized the department to hire an associate planner instead, if a qualified applicant is found. It does not mean the department would hire another assistant planner at a higher salary.

“We’re always looking for the best quality people possible,” he said. “The board authorized us to choose the best option from the available candidates.”

Pederson also said hiring an associate planner might not be a hit on the budget at all.

“The previous employee had been here several years,” he said, “and received salary step increases.”

Island County Commissioners could not speak publicly on either matter.

Staff Reporter Jeremiah O’Hagan: 629-8066 ext. 125 or ohagan@scnews. com.