Concessions

Glendale firefighters have agreed to salary and benefit concessions that will save the city more than $3 million in the next three years, city officials announced Tuesday. The Glendale Firefighter's Assn. voted to approve the tentative contract, which would run through June 30, 2014. The City Council next week is expected to ratify the contract, which includes no pay raises through 2013, higher employee contributions to pension plans and a higher retirement age for all new hires.

BURBANK? A city of Los Angeles steering committee recommended that its Public Works Department move forward with a sewer alignment that would tunnel beneath residential neighborhoods in Burbank. But the project must still go before the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Board in September and the Los Angeles City Council in October for ultimate approval, Burbank's Principal Civil Engineer Rodney Andersen said. The "hybrid" or "connector" alignment, which Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge proposed in February, irked some Burbank residents because construction crews would bore under homes in the Toluca Lake area of Burbank.

CITY HALL — City officials on Monday said the new budget this summer will factor in $3 million in employee salary and benefits concessions, even if a deal with the unions isn’t struck in time. City Manager Jim Starbird said the concessions — a major component of a plan to balance a projected $8.1-million shortfall without further cuts to city services — could be included in the proposed budget in June even if negotiations remain ongoing. The City Council is legally required to adopt a balanced budget by July 1, but Starbird said the figures could change after the deadline.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — Amid continuously rising costs, Glendale Community College is forecasting a $4.5-million to $5-million deficit for the 2010-11 year, which could trigger another series of bargaining and concessions with employee groups, officials said. Faculty and employees at the college have already agreed to a number of concessions to preserve this year’s budget after the college spent $2.2 million in reserves to close its 2009-10 deficit. Costs typically increase by $1.5 million as employees get raises or benefits are renewed.

As officials continue to press for millions in concessions from the city’s employee unions, records show nearly 30% of Glendale’s municipal workforce earned $100,000 or more last year — a burden shared by cities statewide that experts say must be addressed in reducing budget deficits. Of Glendale’s roughly 2,400 hourly and full-time employees, 647 earned $100,000 or more before taxes and other deductions — making up a collective payroll of nearly $88 million in calendar year 2010, according to city records.

The Glendale Police Officers Assn. has declined to reopen its contract for possible concessions on a planned 6% raise despite repeated pleas from the City Council as it works to close a projected $9.7-million budget deficit before July 1, according to an e-mail obtained by the Glendale News-Press. The City Council last week agreed to postpone a planned budget study session as city executives continued to hold out for possible concessions, and police union President Larry Ballesteros has repeatedly described talks with the city as ongoing.

Less than one month on the job and Glendale Community College interim President Jim Riggs is seeing his pay check shrink. He has plenty of company. The board of trustees on Wednesday approved 5% salary reductions for managers - including Riggs and other top administrators - some support staff, even the trustees themselves. The cuts are expected to save the college about $444,000, the bulk of it from the management group. They remain in effect through the 2012-13 year, after which salaries will return to previous levels.

GLENDALE — The Glendale Police Officers Assn. has declined to reopen its contract for possible concessions on a planned 6% raise despite repeated pleas from the City Council as it works to close a projected $9.7-million budget deficit before July 1, according to an e-mail obtained by the Glendale News-Press. The City Council last week agreed to postpone a planned budget study session as city executives continued to hold out for possible concessions, and police union President Larry Ballesteros has repeatedly described talks with the city as ongoing.

CITY HALL — With a July 1 deadline looming, the budgeting process will move forward as scheduled with next Tuesday’s public hearing regardless of whether negotiations with the Glendale Police Officers Assn. are complete, City Manager Jim Starbird said Tuesday. A study session scheduled for Tuesday afternoon to formulate a draft budget was pushed back a week because negotiations with the police union over possible salary concessions are ongoing. City Council members last week said they didn’t want to talk about a final draft budget until after the talks were concluded because concessions on a planned 6% raise could free up the need to make cuts elsewhere.

CITY HALL — The City Council, faced with plugging a $9.7-million budget gap for the next fiscal year, put pressure on the Glendale Police Officers Assn. on Wednesday to forgo cost-of-living increases for at least the upcoming year to help ease the impact to other departments. Police officers are due a 6% pay increase July 1 as part of a four-year contract that was negotiated in 2007. With potential cuts of sworn officers looming as the council attempts to balance the fiscal year 2009-10 budget, the union agreed to again meet with the city next week, city official said.

Re: “City, unions remain at odds,” Aug. 25. The Glendale City Employees Association is upset because in 2010 it was the only union to take a salary cut of 1.5% while the other unions received no pay cuts. All the city unions, including the employees association, can still retire at age 50 or 55 with 30 years of service and receive 90%, 75% or 60% of their last year of income. Tuesday night, the city council was set to discuss bicycle transportation. Local cyclists would very much like our city to allocate $65,000, which is approximately 10% of a local match grant of $659,000, to promote a mode of transportation.

Less than one month on the job and Glendale Community College interim President Jim Riggs is seeing his pay check shrink. He has plenty of company. The board of trustees on Wednesday approved 5% salary reductions for managers - including Riggs and other top administrators - some support staff, even the trustees themselves. The cuts are expected to save the college about $444,000, the bulk of it from the management group. They remain in effect through the 2012-13 year, after which salaries will return to previous levels.

Glendale Unified officials this week said they will take steps to reduce the visual impact of solar panels being installed at seven local schools, but will not relocate them, as requested by some neighbors. The district broke ground last month on the $7.2-million project, which includes installing solar panels at Clark Magnet and Crescenta Valley high schools, Rosemont Middle School and Keppel, Columbus, Mountain Avenue and Monte Vista elementary schools. It is being paid for with funds from Measure S, a $270-million school bond passed by voters in April 2011.

Concession sales at Nitros football games support the PTSA, and Karen Veloz, Glendale High PTSA president, is appreciative of the volunteer support in keeping the booth running. “As this year is underway, our PTSA theme of 'Every Parent Involved' is becoming a reality, as we have had an unprecedented number of parents volunteering with concessions at GHS football games. Never has the saying, 'many hands make light work,' been more true,” she said. Oct. 5 is the second year that the city of Glendale has proclaimed International Walk to School Day. Verdugo Woodlands PTA President Lori Tsaparian invites parents and community to join them at 7:50 a.m. Oct. 5 in the parking lot of the First Congregational Church of Glendale, 2001 Canada Blvd., to recognize this day. Glendale High's Reflections program is off to a great start, with the cooperation of art teachers promising to have a wide array of entries, Veloz said.

The city's largest employee union has agreed to have its members contribute an additional 1% to their pensions and a new promotion system that eliminates across-the-board salary increases. The new contract for the Glendale City Employees Assn., which took four months of negotiations, was approved by the City Council on Tuesday and is expected to save the city $447,000 this fiscal year, according to a city report. “In general I think it was a good deal,” said Councilman Ara Najarian.

A proposed city budget that will slash millions in services and raise an assortment of fees to help bridge an $18-million shortfall prompted few people to address the City Council on Tuesday. The relative silence came during a public hearing Tuesday on a proposed $170 million General Fund budget that pays for basic public services, including public safety, libraries and parks. The City Council will vote next week on the budget after nearly 70 hours of meetings assessing line-item expenses for each of the city’s 11 departments as they attempted to fill an $18-million shortfall in the General Fund.

As officials continue to press for millions in concessions from the city’s employee unions, records show nearly 30% of Glendale’s municipal workforce earned $100,000 or more last year — a burden shared by cities statewide that experts say must be addressed in reducing budget deficits. Of Glendale’s roughly 2,400 hourly and full-time employees, 647 earned $100,000 or more before taxes and other deductions — making up a collective payroll of nearly $88 million in calendar year 2010, according to city records.

Glendale Community College officials announced Wednesday that they had reached a modified deal with the faculty union that would set the number of classes to be offered during the summer session at 200 — a 70-class reduction as compared to last year but double what might otherwise have been available. The deal, struck during emergency negotiations this week, includes previously agreed upon faculty salary concessions of 40%, saving the college about $500,000 — which would be credited toward any pay reductions that may have to be borne by adjunct instructors next fiscal year, officials said.

CITY HALL — Concessions agreed to by the unions that cover firefighters and most managers should save the city $1.5 million, officials say, but negotiations remain ongoing with the largest employee union. The Glendale City Employees Assn., which covers 1,000 of the 1,700 salaried rank-and-file employees, has been negotiating without a contract since July as officials try to secure concessions from it and the police union that would save the city millions. So far, the City Council has approved a one-year contract with the Glendale Management Assn.