ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

The one-time holiday bonuses, approved Tuesday, will cost the city about $5.4 million.

City Manager Tim Thomure’s recommendation, which the council approved, will give $1,000 to full-time employees, $500 to “part-time, permanent� employees, and $250 to non-permanent employees such as seasonal workers.

The bonuses, like the pay raises for city employees approved this summer, will not apply to elected officials, magistrates or election poll workers. They will go to city employees who were on the payroll as of Dec. 1, Thomure said in a , with the goal “to have the payments made to employees before the Christmas/New Years holidays.�

The payments approved Tuesday are the second half of $10.8 million set aside in the 2024-2025 fiscal year budget for compensation increases, which included a 1.5% salary increase this summer under a new compensation plan which also cost $5.4 million.

“I think that’s the right balance between doing something for the employees and deploying the dollars that you authorized in this year’s budget, but in a fiscally-responsible manner that sets us up for success for next fiscal year,� Thomure said.

Although the council approved the bonuses unanimously, Councilmember Nikki Lee shared concerns she heard from city employees and labor union presidents who were “completely unaware� of the council’s Tuesday agenda item.

Lee raised questions about whether the topic should be delayed to January, with hopes of finding a way to potentially apply another salary increase, and to involve more city employees in the conversation.

“As much as I want to make sure people have money, extra money in their pocket around the holidays, I think what I have been hearing as of very recently, because people have not been involved in this part of the conversation that probably should be,� Lee said. “I get the sense that people would rather have us hold off and do this with the input of the employees and the unions and consider something differently.�

Thomure said he did make phone calls “to the presidents of all four of our labor unions to discuss this in the weeks leading up to making� his recommendation. When pressed by Councilmember Paul Cunningham, Thomure said he spoke with those union leaders “approximately two weeks ago.�

“They all did object to it and said they would much rather see a 1.5% salary adjustment, which I cannot recommend,� Thomure said.

Cunningham said he was concerned about city employees “coming out of the woodwork to object� because they hadn’t been in the loop, “and it’s totally happened, my phone’s been blowing up all morning,� he said.

“... I know the 1.5% (salary increase) is really important, especially for the folks that are thinking about their retirement and their long-term needs, but for the folks that are entry-level, the nice one-time distribution means a heck of a lot more, especially this time of year,� Cunningham said.

“And so here we are at the last minute, doing this dance and I’m not happy about it at all,� because such conversations should happen much earlier than two weeks out, he said.