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North Las Vegas will refill two buyouts
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Ten high-ranking North Las Vegas officials, including Police Chief Joseph Forti, recently agreed to take executive buyouts to save the cash-strapped city $2.4 million in fiscal year 2011.
But the City Council on Wednesday unanimously agreed to waive the city's hiring freeze to replace two of those 10 employees -- Forti and the city's finance director -- which might seem to defeat the purpose in those cases.
After the "executive incentive packages" were approved, Acting City Manager Maryann Ustick said, "some members of the council had concerns about not having a finance director in this economic environment."
She pointed out that the assistant finance director also took a buyout, and other city employees don't have the credentials to manage the city's finances in a challenging economy.
In contrast, the city doesn't necessarily plan to replace Forti right away, she said.
"We'll be appointing an acting chief."
It was simply more practical to lump requests to waive the hiring freeze together for council approval, she said.
North Las Vegas has no plans at the moment to replace the remaining eight high-ranking officials. The city is consolidating departments to lessen the effect of losing department higher-ups in what is its third round of employee buyouts.
Ustick wasn't sure how much in savings the city would lose by hiring a new finance director to replace Phil Stoeckinger.
But "there's no question that's a cost," she said.
Several council members defended the city's plan to hire a new finance director, despite the cost.
"Some positions have to be filled," Mayor Shari Buck said.
Councilman Richard Cherchio called it "ludicrous" to "establish an across-the-board (hiring) freeze and then come to an issue that needs to be addressed and we can't because we don't have the staff."
"You have to have the latitude to run the city," he said.
Stoeckinger, whose "exit date" is June 18, accepted a buyout package of $103,685. The council on Wednesday approved recruiting a new finance director to be paid between $150,849 and $221,965 in salary and benefits. Stoeckinger's current salary, not including benefits, is $166,954.
Forti, whose exit date is June 4, accepted a buyout package of $215,572. The Council approved the "future recruitment" of a new chief to be paid between $158,790 and $233,648 a year in salary and benefits. Forti's current salary, excluding benefits, is $169,844. He has been the city's police chief since March 2008.
Those who took the buyouts were given the choice between taking two weeks of pay for each year of service or allowing the city to buy them two years' worth of credit in the Public Employees' Retirement System, Ustick said.
Other high-ranking officials who took the buyout included the city's director of information technology, director of economic development and chief marshal.
The Council on Wednesday also approved the "future recruitment" of a new city manager to receive $268,638 in salary and benefits. Former City Manager Gregory Rose resigned late last year, taking with him $337,040 in severance pay.
The city, which has been dealing with plummeting revenues in recent years, in April approved cutting 204 city jobs to save money.
Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis@review journal.com or 702-383-0285.
| North Las Vegas Executive Buyouts | ||
| Name | Position | Buyout Package |
| David Powell | Corrections captain | $150,941.44 |
| Joseph Forti | Chief of police | $215,572.54 |
| Paul Womack | Police captain | $173,357.76 |
| Michael Majewski | Director of economic development | $125,112.60 |
| Michael Rose | Deputy chief of police | $169,282.08 |
| Philip Stoeckinger | Director of finance | $103,685.17 |
| Steven Chapin | Director information technology | $106,641.12 |
| Katherine Godbey | Assistant director of finance | $117,259.51 |
| James Jackson | Chief marshal | $208,559.59 |
| Terri Davis | Assistant fire chief | $127,575.53 |
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$1,497,987.34 this is $2,012.66 shy of $1.5 million dollars we Tax Payers of NLV just paid their executive staff TO LEAVE. In fact just prior to this a few of those people on the infamous list had already submitted their paperwork to begin the retirement process. But “someone” in finance told them to pull that paperwork and wait as a Golden Parachute was on the way, to save the day. And guess what we have now! $$1.5 million dollars paid out to people who should have never been afforded the opportunity to steal money from the City in the first place. Ask Mike Davidson what he was offered to leave? He was just cut loose, no money, no reason, no thank you for a job well done. While some of the thieves take just that little bit more as they run for the door. What the City fails to mention is the additional $$$5.4 million dollars that was paid out just to cover the benefits for each of these executives. This is why you will never, ever see that 2 page $50,000 audit. Chief Forti made it a point to brag how “in 30 years he’d never taken a day off sick”. Really? The $1.5 million dollars could have saved each of the Firefighters slated to be cut June 18th. The remaining $$5.4 million could have saved everyone else from being cut. That’s only the tip of the iceberg, the City of NLV, right now, has almost a half a Billion dollars outstanding is lawsuits. Search the Clark County website and look for yourself.
Very very nice.That's does not include their $100.000 plus yearly pension.
This town is done.Where do the city think he big money going to come from the pay these pensions.
EURO DOWN DOWN DOWN
STOCK MARKET DOWN DOWN DOWN
OVERSEAS TOURIST DOWN DOWN DOWN
BRIGHT SIDE
FIREMAN SALARIES UP UP UP
NO CITY,STATE,OR GVT WORKERS FIRED.HEADCOUNT UP UP UP
THIS TOWN IS DONE DONE DONE
Wow, I didn't get a buyout... I got escorted out and no goldent parachute for doing my job....
City Council should be ashamed of rewarding poor performers with golden parachutes.
Maybe those bought out could land jobs with CCSD as "consultants".
great point OldPSUGuy.....
It seems like they are trying to buy time to get though the current minute so they can get back to their wasteful spending.
Vote them out.
I thought we were doing layoffs to save the City money. Evidently the layoffs are to allow the City to hire more high paid positions that led the City to the road they are on. How many ordinary workers could be saved if we used this money for their salaries. How much will it costs the City to do the "nationwide" search to ensure we have the best candidate for the job??? Why haven't the Mayor or any of the City Council members offered to take a pay cut? We can't hire the people needed to run the city on the worker level but we can hire more high dollar puppets that will do what the City Council and Mayor direct them to do. So much for saving the City money.....
Everyone of the made over $100,000.00. that is absurd. Look at the fire departments (and police) pay. These people are not worth that pay.
AND THEY WONDER WHY WE ARE TURNING ON THEM. HERO'S, MY A#*. GREEDY BUNCH OF PIGS!!!
This is the total stupidity that is Southern Nevada politics.