On August 29, Greenbelt City Council met for two separate sessions. The first was a special meeting to act on Premium Pay for city employees. One and a half hours and three motions later, the decision was that eligible city employees can expect to receive their American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Premium Pay checks by Friday, September 9.
Premium Pay Groups
Over 30 city employees, past and present, attended the special session on ARPA Premium Pay funding. Mayor Emmett Jordan started the meeting by describing that the past two years, 2020 and 2021, have been times of stress and uncertainty for all citizens. All city employees kept their jobs, sometimes working from home and sometimes working out in the community in direct contact with citizens suffering from health and safety concerns. Interim City Manager Timothy George presented the staff recommendation on grouping employees. Employees in direct contact with citizens (police officers, public works refuse workers, park rangers) and employees who have contact with those direct contact employees (code enforcement, other public works employees, police dispatch) are tier 1 employees. Other employees are tier 2 employees. Unclassified employees are tier 3 employees. Retirees are included in the groupings but resigned or terminated employees are not included in the groupings.
Premium Payments
Councilmember Judith Davis moved that tier 1 employees receive $7,000 total ($4,000 for 2020 service, $3,000 for 2021 service) and tier 2 employees receive $3,000 total ($2,000 for 2020 service, $1,000 for 2021 service) in ARPA Premium Pay. Jordan amended the motion to break these amounts into two payments. Councilmembers discussed the tax implications of two payments. Resident Lore Rosenthal noted that the ARPA payments were for years 2020 and 2021 and that further delaying payment by splitting the payment into two staggered amounts was further delaying city employees from receiving their ARPA distribution. The amendment failed.
Councilmember Rodney Roberts suggested that giving all employees equal amounts would be fairer as all employees worked during years 2020 and 2021. The motion by Davis giving tier 1 and tier 2 employees ARPA payments of $7,000 and $3,000, respectively, passed 6-1. Roberts voted against the motion because he wanted the Premium Pay funds to come from city funding, not ARPA funding.
Employee Resignations
Council then considered whether employees who have resigned should receive ARPA Premium Pay for their service in years 2020 and 2021. At that point two former employees who have resigned from city employment discussed their service during the Covid-19 pandemic. Councilmember Silke Pope said that all employees, whether they have taken other jobs or not, who served during years 2020 and 2021 should receive ARPA Premium Pay. Roberts moved that all eligible employees, resigned included, receive ARPA Premium Pay for years 2020 and 2021. The motion passed 5-2 with Jordan and Councilmember Kristen Weaver voting no because more information is needed.
City Logo
Council also affirmed that the city logo is the same as the city seal and the city flag, with regard to its use for events sponsored or supported by the city. Councilmember Ric Gordon moved to approve the use of the city logo in connection with the HUG (Help Unite Greenbelt) Walk and the motion carried unanimously. At a later meeting, council will address a policy change, that the city staff manage the city logo applications, notifying council of the decision. The special meeting adjourned.
