MANSFIELD — The City of Mansfield has paid $2.67 million in “one-time” bonus payments to its 400-plus employees in the last 19 months.
That total includes $262,000 going to 104 full-time, non-union workers scheduled for this week’s paychecks.
The bulk of the money for the bonus awards has come from the city’s $21 million share of American Rescue Plan Act funds, each after approval from City Council during public meetings.
But the latest $2,500 checks are coming from city coffers, a decision made by Mayor Tim Theaker without any advice or consent required from local lawmakers. The mayor is in the final month of his third and final four-year term in office.
The award is in addition to $4,000 bonus payments paid to the 104 full-time, non-bargaining employees in March, according to a Dec. 4 email to workers, a copy of which was obtained by Richland Source.
Human Relations Director Sharon May told Richland Source the mayor’s decision was made in an attempt to show “parity” with union workers, including police and fire, who have received $6,500 bonus payments in the last 19 months through American Rescue Plan Act funds.
“Members of the FOP bargaining unit received a $6,500 payment in 2022, as a means of recruitment/retention,” May said. “That amounted to about $600,000 of ARPA monies being utilized for them.
“It was the city’s desire to show parity among all units in setting aside this sum ($600,000). For the members of (the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees), that amounted to about $4,000 per person to be paid,” May said.
“Therefore, the same sum ($4,000 per person) was set aside for non-bargaining employees as well. However, through arbitration, the AFSCME members were awarded $6,500 per person,” May said.
She said the payment is for all full-time non-union employees, including department heads. Elected officials will not receive the bonuses, Maye said.
“Therefore, it is now the city’s wish that all employees, regardless of bargaining unit status, be awarded the same amount. Members of the IAFF will also be receiving an additional $500 (this week), as was approved by council,” May said.
ARPA, signed into law in 2021, was aimed at assisting local governments struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to its guidelines, “funding provided under ARPA provides a unique opportunity for state and local governments to make strategic investments in long-lived assets, rebuild reserves to enhance financial stability, and cover temporary operating shortfalls until economic conditions and operations normalize.”
There are two differences from the previous awards in this latest bonus payment to non-union workers.
First, almost all previous awards came from the $21 million the city received in federal ARPA funds. Funds for these latest bonuses will come from the city’s own funds, almost half ($128,000) from the general fund.
Second, every other bonus was approved publicly by City Council, an action required to spend ARPA dollars.
(Below is the list, by department, of the full-time, non-union City of Mansfield employees who will receive an additional $2,500 bonus payment this week, according to the city’s finance office.)
“No (City) Council approval was required (for the latest bonus),” May told Richland Source, a statement echoed by city Law Director John Spon.
“Once a budget is approved for any elected official, that elected official has complete authority to manage his/her budget as he/she deems appropriate,” said Spon, who is also leaving office at the end of the year after 12 years as law director.
“City Council has no legal authority to interfere with an elected official’s management of its approved budget. City Council also has no legal authority to micromanage an elected official’s budget,” he said.
“Of course, there might always be some very unique situation in which a court of law could intervene for clearly unlawful activity, but the amount or manner of compensation to an employee is historically not one of them,” Spon said.
Linn Steward, the city’s finance director, said there is enough money remaining in the various department salary lines to make the bonus payments. If the bonuses were not paid out, the funds would have simply remained in the salary line items going into 2024, Steward said.
“There is enough appropriations budget in the personnel classification of each department that has non-bargaining employees to pay the bonuses,” Steward said.
It is for that reason that it was not required to be approved by council, although for transparency it might have been better for the administration to ask for council approval.”
Steward provided Richland Source a breakdown of the bonus payments made since March 2022:
— Police — $481,000, 74 employees, March 2022, paid by ARPA.
— Fire –$522,000, 87 employees, April 2023, paid by ARPA; $40,500, 81 employees, December 2023, paid by ARPA
— AFSCME — $929,500, 143 employees, October 2023, ($593,500 Paid by ARPA; $160,500 paid from the sewer fund; $175,500 paid from the water fund)
— Non-union — $440,000, 110 employees, May 2023, paid by ARPA; $260,000, 104 employees in December 2023, paid from the employee’s normal salary line.
Richland Source invited all nine elected City Council members to comment on the latest bonus via an email Dec. 8.
Only one responded by Tuesday — At-large Councilwoman Stephanie Zader.
“I know our employees work very hard, and the majority have pay disparities compared to their positions in comparable cities,” Zader said.
“With such a large sum of money being paid out and it being bonuses versus salaries, I would agree with Director Steward that erring on the side of caution and bringing this before City Council would have been best for transparency purposes,” Zader said.
“I am also under the impression that we told the arbitrator for AFSCME, as well as union leaders for the IAFF, that we did not have the funds available to pay large bonuses during negotiations, so this seems a bit like we are talking out of both sides of our mouth,” Zader said.
“With that said, the administration is within their rights to pay these bonuses without coming to City Council because the money is in the accounts for personnel classification of each department that has non-bargaining employees to pay the bonuses,” Zader said.
Mayor-elect Jodie Perry takes office in 2024.
“I am hopeful that the next administration has more of an attitude of cooperation with City Council than the current administration because we are generally the ones that end up answering to the public about things like this,” Zader said.
No responses were received from 1st Ward Councilwoman Laura Burns, 2nd Ward Councilwoman Cheryl Meier, 3rd Ward Councilman Rev. El Akuchie, 4th Ward Councilman Alomar Davenport, 5th Ward Councilman Aurelio Diaz, 6th Ward Councilwoman Kimberly Moton, At-large Councilman Phil Scott or council President David Falquette.