San Carlos considers staff bonuses

On Monday, the council will mull over whether to grant $2,000 bonuses to about 70 employees who worked for the city between March 10, 2020, and March 31, 2021. To receive the funds, employees would have to have worked at least 20 hours a week during that period and would have to have received satisfactory markings on their performance reviews.

Some city employees who would not qualify for the bonus under the drafted proposal would include the city manager, city attorney, any employee hired on or after the specified time frame and some part-time employees.

Councilmember Ron Collins recommended the city consider staff bonuses during a meeting Aug. 23, given the immense work city employees have had to conduct during the pandemic. While employees in other industries have been able to work from home during the health crisis, many city employees have not, Collins said in a phone interview.

City employees are also unable to turn customers, city residents, away when they request service regardless of treatment and those services have had to continue operating without interruptions while new programs were developed, he said.

For instance, the city’s Laurel Street Closure program which has allowed businesses to expand operations into the street has added responsibilities to the city’s Public Works Department. Many other standing operations have had to pivot online.

“It’s just a lot of extra attention staff needs to pay to what’s going on,” Collins said. “They’re always out doing something, taking care of the public and the calls into City Hall don’t stop.”

Collins also noted many public employees still can’t afford to live in the city and often have to travel from outside of the Peninsula for work. They could potentially earn more working in the private sector as well, he said.

He has pushed for staff bonuses in the past but was unable to build support from previous councilmembers, he said. Since then, the council has instituted pay cuts and voted to reduce staff benefits in preparation for budget shortfalls caused by the pandemic. Collins said many of those benefits have yet to be fully restored.

“I felt strongly about it before and I feel stronger about it now. We’re all in a better place because of their efforts,” Collins said.

The city still faces financial uncertainty but Collins felt encouraged to propose bonuses again after the city of San Mateo did so in August.

San Mateo’s City Council approved $2,000 bonuses for full-time employees who worked between March 17 and May 30, 2020, as a sign of appreciation for work done in the early phases of the pandemic. Despite covering a shorter timeframe, its program will cost $879,314 to give bonuses to a total of 414 employees.

The measure would cost San Carlos $150,586 from its unassigned fund balance in the General Fund after accounting for Medicare and Social Security. Being one-time payments, the bonuses would not count as pensionable income. If approved, eligible employees would see the bonuses added to their Nov. 12 paycheck.

Formal positions on the pay have not been publicly expressed by other councilmembers but Collins said he takes the council’s willingness to hold a fuller discussion on the item as a good sign support is there. Collins said he would also be open to modifications to his proposal depending on the direction of council discussion.

“Everyone agreed to put it on the agenda. That’s not a bad sign,” Collins said. “This is what I’ve proposed but I think that it’s important that we have a good robust discussion about it and figure that out.”

The City Council will meet remotely via Zoom at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 11, and will be streamed live at sancarlosca.iqm2.com and on Comcast Channel 27 and AT&T U-verse Channel 99. Remote public comments will be received by telephone during the meeting, prior to the close of public comment on an item. *67 (669) 900-9128, Meeting ID: 882 5614 0939.

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