Frustrations brought to Cadiz Council regarding overtime hours
Alexis Corder – Harrison News-Herald Staff Writer
CADIZ—Village Administrator Brandon Ludwig started the Cadiz Village Council meeting on Thursday, September 1, with his Administrator’s Report. Ludwig reported that Sally Buffalo was in the process of submitting a final application for an AMLER (Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization) grant, which, if received, would fund beatification and infrastructure work around Wallace Lodge and the new stage. This would include pavement for the lodge parking lot, security lights around the stage areas, and also possibly setting up bases that would allow the park to run a full sewer system throughout the campground. The grant application is due September 16, and it is assumed that another update will be given once council hears back with final results.
In talks about Sally Buffalo, there was also a discussion of rate increases for all facilities and amenities across the entirety of the park. Ludwig reported that he will submit the paperwork for said rate adjustments at the end of October to ensure the new rates can take effect on January 1, 2023. He stated that his goal would be to make sure that the rates stay fair and affordable for all customers while also taking into consideration the rising costs that the village is facing to operate the park. It is assumed that specific numbers regarding exactly how much the rates will be increasing will likely be discussed for the public sometime after the paperwork is filed in October.
Ludwig also reported that the south and center sewage projects were moving along nicely, though there was a small complication reported earlier that week. He stated, “[The construction team] had to reroute a water line to avoid a manhole. A temporary water shut-off took place on Monday on Grant Street.” The issue was said to have been taken care of in a timely manner, as well as the reroute was completed successfully and smoothly. Additionally, Ludwig had a message for the residents of Cadiz regarding the messy aftermath of the sewage construction. “[The construction teams] have all intentions of coming back. Once they get so far, they’ll send a clean-up crew; that might not always happen right after, or even shortly after, but with the inspectors being on site, all of [the concerns about clean-up] have been identified and addressed. The Village of Cadiz has all intentions of making sure that everybody’s sidewalks, yards, driveways, and roadways are being put back how they were.”
Moving forward in the meeting, council member and chair of the Finance Committee Sal DeLuca asked council to approve the purchase of two new solar-powered speed display signs for the village. Council voted to purchase the signs, which will be placed on Lincoln Avenue and Country Club Road in an effort to slow drivers down. Council also asked Police Chief Ryan McCann to place a police cruiser at both locations every once in a while since both spots are frequented by overly speedy drivers. McCann responded by saying that he would gladly place officers at the sites any day of the week.
Moreover, council moved on to discuss an issue regarding overtime pay, or lack thereof in this case, for certain employees—including police officers. Lt. Ron Carter attended the meeting as a guest, fighting for the overtime pay issue. “Last year, we had 784 hours of holiday overtime. Sally Buffalo Days, when we worked that, that was 32 hours. The Christmas parade was another 21. There are three officers on the schedules that when they take off for vacation or personal time, I have to fill their shifts with another officer… Just with [covering] those three for one week of vacation [each], there’s 120 hours of overtime. Plus the 96 hours for the three for personal time,” stated Carter, “that’s 1,053 total hours of overtime. And that’s not including any sick time, any court time… And especially [time off due to] coronavirus.” He expressed his frustration with how big of a chunk of the allotted overtime hours are consumed by what can be understood as relatively standard policing coverage. The council responded by sharing their appreciation for the specific hourly breakdown that Carter gave. They also expressed that it helped them gain a much better understanding of the problem; still, no solid conclusions were drawn, nor action taken, as it was made clear that the issue still needed to be discussed further.
