To the Editor:
According to the Cortland Standard, the city of Cortland may — in response to a 2020 state audit — repeal a 2011 law governing management staff benefits and replace it with a new plan. The mayor prefers a quick repeal, followed by adoption of the new plan before negotiations with one of eight bargaining units are completed. Apparently, the Common Council has yet to see a proposed plan.
Replacing the current law with a new plan may be warranted. But it’s only one option suggested in the audit. Another is a manager’s benefits being the same as those received by employees under their supervision. A third is individual employment contracts. The audit’s focus is on clarity, specificity, adequate controls and sufficient oversight by the Common Council. No mention is made of the city being in violation of the law. A corrective action plan, filed by the city in response to the findings, is appended to the audit.
Repealing the current law before first having something to replace it is putting the cart before the horse. Hurried review of a yet-to-be published plan risks future audit findings. Not having a corporation counsel to advise officials on these deliberations increases those risks.
Why the rush? The audit in question is four years old. The prior administration filed a corrective action plan.
The city of Cortland has recently lost a number of senior management staff. Retaining remaining veterans, and recently added colleagues, should be a high priority — as should thinking ahead to future recruitment. Benefits are an important component of total compensation. Efforts to reevaluate them, and related policies and procedures, should be approached thoughtfully, over a reasonable time-period, without unnecessary pressure, with a corporation counsel’s guidance. The audit tasks the Common Council with responsibility for overseeing this process, and for the outcome.
Frank Kelly
Cortlandville
