Rescue Plan ordinances stalled in Gary

Some Gary Council members are threatening to withhold any American Rescue Plan Act appropriation requests from the Prince Administration until a plan is created to compensate on a prorated basis those city employees who did not work enough to meet the 80% threshold to qualify for COVID-19 premium payments.

The administration drew the ire of Council President William Godwin, D-1st, when he learned there had been no movement on the council’s request that came out of committee that employees who did not meet the 80% work threshold to receive the full amount of the payment receive a prorated amount based on the time they did work. Council members Mike Brown, D-At large, and Mary Brown, D-3rd, shared Godwin’s concerns.

COVID-19 premium payments are $5,000 for first responders and $2,500 and $3,000 for employees in various different departments of the city. Payments were expected to be disbursed Dec. 10.

Deputy Mayor Trent McCain said the administration’s position is an employee has to meet the 80% threshold, meaning they worked eight out of every 10 days during the pandemic, in order to be considered for premium payment. He said the premium payment was intended for employees who worked the overwhelming majority of time during the pandemic.

“If we start to erode that line … where does it stop,” McCain said. He said he spoke with police and fire unions prior to establishing the policy and both agreed 80% was a fair threshold. McCain also said 13 of the firefighters who expressed concern in a letter identifying 35 firefighters ineligible for the payments were the same firefighters identified in a newspaper story as costing the city about $936,000 in overtime.

“We feel that it is fair to compensate those who were here eight out of 10 days when COVID-19 was brand new to us. To come off that threshold will cause not only an equity problem it will also be an accounting nightmare,” McCain said.

Godwin said he understands the administration’s position but disagreed. He also said he too spoke to the police and fire unions and they did not indicate to him they are accepting of the policy.

“I don’t think there is anybody on this council who thinks people who worked less than 80% should get zero. I don’t think it will be an accounting nightmare to do perorations based on the percentage of time people work,” Godwin said.

He said if the council had to talk until May about three ordinances before it Tuesday seeking appropriations of ARPA funding to hire an ARPA manager for a one-year contract not to exceed $60,000; $5 million for a joint venture broadband project, and $1.5 million for a leadership and job training program it would.

“I’m not prepared to move forward on those ordinances,” Godwin said, adding despite repeated requests by the council to have some members including himself and Vice President Tai Adkins, D-4th, and two other council members be part of the process, the council was not involved.

Godwin said he was not prepared to move forward with the three ordinances until the administration provides a reasonable response to the council’s request for payment to all employees. No action is not an option, Godwin said.

“We have to be a council with a backbone otherwise we might as well stay home,” Godwin said.

Councilman Clorius Lay, D-At large, suggested while the threat is a valid tool, Godwin should try diplomacy first, discussing the possibility of withholding action on other ordinances with the mayor or deputy mayor directly before blindsiding the administration with the threat.

“I think diplomacy never hurts. It really does not who a sign of weakness to have diplomacy,” Lay said.

Godwin is seeking an amendment to the ordinance authorizing premium pay to provide disbursement on a prorated basis to all city employees.

Carrie Napoleon is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.