Manager furloughs discussed

The 11-member council, which serves as the city's Finance Committee, plans to discuss requiring managers to take as many as 10 unpaid days off at its meeting on Monday, council president Timothy Cruise said.

The pay increases were set by city ordinance and can only be eliminated the same way, officials said.

The council's discussion of the appropriateness of the pay raises comes as two city branch libraries are slated to close, five librarians face job losses, and more than 75 teachers have received warning notices.

In addition, Fire Chief Kenneth Galligan is slated to lose 16 firefighters, re ducing his department to 1991 staffing levels. That may force a decision to close the East Side ladder company, leaving the city with five stations, and to potentially rethink the city's ability to respond to mutual aid, he said.

Meanwhile, Mayor James Harrington is set to receive a $4,441 raise, bringing his annual salary to $131,328. The mayor's pay is based on fluctuations in the consumer price index, part of an agreement set by home-rule legislation in 2000 that also can only be changed with a new bill.

Because a new bill would time, the mayor's salary increase for the moment must stand, councilors said.

"We couldn't do that in this budget," said Councilor at Large Thomas Brophy, who echoed his colleagues' frustration that anyone would get a raise when others are losing their jobs.

"However," Brophy said, "I've talked to the mayor about making some kind of change, and he also indicated he may donate some of his increase to charity."

As of May, non-union employees began paying 40 percent of their health insurance costs, and raises are a way of helping with those costs, the city's chief financial officer, Jay Condon, said. Union workers are still paying 25 percent of their insurance costs and are also slated to get raises under their collective bargaining agreements, he said.

Condon's own pay goes up from $135,255 to $140,719 under city ordinance. The personnel, public works, and parking authority directors, the city auditor, collector-treasurer, and the city clerk, among a few others, also will be receiving 2 percent salary increases.

Councilors discussed the pay raises at their June 4 meeting, the last budget discussion before the council votes on the issue June 22.

A majority of members that night voted to cut $100,000 from the economic development line in the mayor's budget that helps fund the Brockton 21st Century Corporation. The nonprofit works with the city to lure in business.

Councilor at Large Linda Balzotti's motion was approved following a futile plea by Brophy to reduce the cut to $50,000.

The cut was made in response to Harrington's decision last year to slash funding for the city's Planning Department. Balzotti said council action was intended to persuade the mayor to rebuild the department.

"There needs to be some accountability," said Balzotti, who is running for mayor. "The 21st Century is a dedicated volunteer group, but we're a major city and we need to maintain a planning element."

Harrington has said that tough times mean the city must learn how to operate differently and by sharing employees.

Galligan, the fire chief, made a fervent, last-ditch effort to prevent more cuts to his department, which has already lost almost 30 jobs in the last three years.

If the additional layoffs go through, there will be 143 firefighters left to respond to 19,658 calls annually, Galligan said. "We need to be able to perform our most basic service, which is fighting a fire," he said, adding that in 1987 Brockton had 250 firefighters.

Almost two dozen jobs were saved in April when the firefighters' union made concessions that helped balance the budget through July 1, the start of the new fiscal year. At the same time, more than two dozen other city employees were laid off and several dozen more accepted a retirement incentive to help offset an unexpected $2.5 million reduction in state aid.

City Councilor at Large Robert Sullivan wondered if it was time to start charging for some of the Fire Department's services. Whitman, for example, bills its citizens if emergency workers have to use jaws of life equipment at an accident scene, he said. "I think it's a great idea. Have we ever contemplated this?" he asked.

"I know I haven't," said Galligan. "We're here to serve the people in this city. I would hate to think that everything we did we charged for over and above what people already pay in taxes."

Michele Morgan Bolton can be reached at mmbolton1@verizon.net.