HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-23-2017 Regular MeetingPublic Meeting Notice
Committee: Fairhope Personnel Board
Date & Time: Thursday, February 23, 2016 at 7:15 a.m.
Place: Delchamps Room
161 North Section Street
Subject: General Discussion
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COUNTY OF BALDWIN
Personnel Board met at 7 : 15 a.m .
Council Chambers
161 N Section Street, Fairhope , AL 36532
Thursday , February 2 , 2017
Present were:
Members: Diane Thomas , Chairman , Lorenzo Howard , Jenny Erdoes , Rob Stankoski,
Pandora Heathcoe, Human Resources Director, and Kevin Boone, City Council Liaison.
Absent: Scherry Douglas
Guests: Doug Cazort
The meeting was called to order at 7 : 15 a.m.
Minutes from the February 2 , 2017 meeting were approved by a first motion set forth by
Lorenzo Howard and second by Jenny Erodes .
Jenny Erodes informed the Board she and her famil y are being relocated out of state and
that she will vacate her position by April 1.
Diane Thomas , Chairman, began the meeting by welcoming Doug Cazort and explained
that Mr. Cazort is interested in becoming a Board member. She advised Mr. Cazort he
could observe the meeting but would not be allowed to participate. She asked Mr.
Cazort to introduce himself and give a brief biographical sketch.
Diane asked that the new items on the agenda be discussed first with a consideration of
the shorts dress code policy for the Departments of Recreation (Golf/Parks & Recreation)
and Public Works landscaping. A list of other municipalities that allow shorts and
comments from the City 's worker compensation insurance company were discussed. The
primary issue of concern for the Board was safety when employees would be using
chemicals and/or weed eaters or other equipment with blades. Also , the Board
questioned whether other departments might request a variance on the uniform policy to
allow them to wear shorts . Diane offered to draft a letter with the Board 's concerns and
circulate it for approval before sending it to the Mayor. A copy of the letter is attached to
these minutes.
In previous conversations , Mayor Wilson had requested that the Board meet with Ron
Hayes , local citizen and OSHA advocate, to discuss ideas for a City safety program and
an overall review of the City 's current facilities , safety manual , etc. Pandora Heathcoe
stated that the City had previously hired Safety Plus , a local company , to provide safety
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training and safety management. She felt that the lack of support from department heads
and previous management had seriously limited the ability to implement a safety
program. Diane offered to draft a letter to the Mayor summarizing the Board 's
discussion and circulate it to the members for approval before sending it on to the Mayor.
A copy of that letter is attached to these minutes .
Diane reminded the Board of an invitation extended to all Board members by Mayor
Wilson in the previous Board meeting to attend a Staff Retreat and Team Building Day ,
March 20, 2017 at USA Fairhope Campus. This retreat would be from 8:30 am until 4:00
pm , and it is mandatory for all department heads.
Chairman Thomas mentioned the compensation study RFQ has been placed on hold by
the Mayor. Lorenzo Howard stated that he belie ves it is important to have the study
conducted sometime soon; however, he felt further discussion would be very time
consuming and needed to be postponed until the next Board meeting. The entire Board
was in agreement about the importance of the compensation study, the guidance it would
provide for the City, and the structure of pay ranges for the employees .
There being no further business , the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 AM with first motion
set forth by Rob Stankoski and second by Jenny Erdoes.
The next scheduled meeting will be held Thursday, March 16 , 2017.
Respectfully submitted,
Pandora Heathcoe
Acting Secretary
..
February 27, 2017
Mayor Karin Wilson
Fairhope City Hall
161 North Section Street
Fairhope, AL 36532
Dear Mayor Wilson,
Per your request, the Board and Pandora Heathcoe discussed the City's safety
record and safety program at our most recent Board meeting. For the past two to
three years, Pandora has been actively engaged in efforts to improve safety in the
City. You probably know that Pandora asked the previous Council to hire Safety
Plus, a consulting company, to provide inspections, evaluations, and training to
the employees to improve the safety record. After two years, Pandora felt that
the City had received maximum benefit from that company. Pandora also set up
an in-house Safety Committee which reviews all accidents and worker's comp
incidents and requires the employee responsible for the incident to appear before
the committee. The goals of the Safety Committee are to identify safety issues
that need attention and to help the employee learn from his/her mistakes.
In our evaluation of the current safety program, HR has worked very hard to
identify safety issues and provide training for the employees on safety practices.
The weak link in the safety program appears to be enforcement of safety
standards when there are infractions of rules or accidents. If a department head
does not write up an employee or recommend discipline, then no amount of
training or inspections will improve the safety record of the City.
The Board is suggesting that Pandora and Ron Hayes meet to discuss the current
safety issues facing the City and the steps that Pandora has taken. After their
meeting, Pandora and Ron would decide which issues or plans they would like to
present to the Board for its consideration.
Please let us know if this approach meets your needs to have additional focus on
and improvement in safety in the City.
Sincerely,
Diane Thomas
Personnel Board Chairman