Council Trip Irks Cypress Worker Group

Jeff Wong doesn’t understand why the City Council has to go on a retreat in Laguna Beach to discuss the budget crunch.

The planned two-day excursion to the Aliso Creek Inn, estimated to cost taxpayers $1,800, has angered Wong and some fellow members of the Cypress Public Safety Employees Assn., which is currently in heated contract negotiations with the city.

One of the sticking points in the ongoing talks is the city’s initial rejection of a plan to reduce overtime costs by hiring more officers. There just isn’t the money, the city argues.

“I probably wouldn’t be upset . . . if the city was rolling in money,” said Wong, president of the 70-member association. “But if they are crying they are in bad fiscal shape, they should be saving every penny they can.”

The two-day retreat next weekend is slated as a budget and “team-building” workshop. On Saturday, the five-member council and department heads will discuss the city’s financial picture. Sunday is devoted to “team building” to map out plans and goals for the upcoming year. The group will tackle a variety of issues ranging from redevelopment to cultural arts, said Gary Bacock, personnel director.

Both workshops are public meetings, and the community is invited to attend.

One of the crucial items on the agenda, which the Police Department will be watching closely, is the city’s budget.

In 1991, the city filled a $400,000 shortfall in its $17-million budget by instituting a hiring freeze. Last year, Cypress squeaked by without layoffs or dipping into reserves, but officials worry that this year could be different. The preliminary budget and revenue projections are expected to be made public during the workshop.

In the name of fiscal responsibility, many Orange County cities have stopped similar weekend getaways as the recession has lingered on. However, in the last two years the Cypress council and some members of the city staff have gone on three retreats. Two have been one-day workshops at the local Ramada Inn.

In March, 1991, the council, city manager, city attorney and seven department heads spent two days at the Waterfront Hilton in Huntington Beach, spending just shy of $3,000 for the weekend. Estimated costs for retreats in the last two years total $5,500.

Mayor Gail H. Kerry defended the upcoming retreat as necessary to the smooth running of the city. She said it will give council members, who will spend the evening with City Manager Darrell Essex, a chance to work together and hammer out critical issues.

“This is a combination budget meeting and a team-building meeting. . . We are going to spend one day with all top staff, and the second day is going to be team building, which is something this council needs to do.”

As far as costs are concerned, Kerry said, city leaders are sensitive to the issue. They turned down a similar trip sponsored by the League of California Cities because it was too expensive. And the Aliso Creek retreat will cost only a few hundred dollars more than going to the local Ramada Inn, she said.

“It just boils down to a couple hundred dollars whether we go (to Laguna Beach) or to the Cypress Ramada. Whether it was in Cypress or not, we wanted it to be reasonable and felt it was very important to have.”

But Wong says he feels that it is unnecessary and rather extravagant in these economic times.

During the last few years, overtime has skyrocketed in the Police Department as it tries to deal with a soaring crime rate, Wong said. Many officers are putting in up to 15 extra hours a week. In fact, last year the city spent nearly $500,000 in overtime costs, officials said.

As part of the current negotiations, which cover everything from salary increases to layoff protection, the association is proposing a reduction in overtime costs by rearranging the officers’ work schedule. This would require adding more officers, which is at the heart of the dispute.

The city has countered with its own offer, which does not include new positions.

Kerry said the the city is agreeable to filling existing vacancies in the Police Department. But adding positions is something that will have to be postponed until better times. “My position is I want them to get up to the full allowed amount, and then we will look at it. . . . We have to look at costs,” she said.

Pointing to the weekend retreat, Wong said they should look at costs--their own.

“Isn’t it kind of ludicrous to go 50 to 60 miles out of the city to talk about the city?” he said. “And they talk about this city being financially strapped.”