Zaragoza Seeks Accounting of Parks Incentive Program

A city councilman told Parks and Facilities Supt. Michael Henderson on Tuesday to provide a full accounting of a municipal incentive program that has paid more than $39,000 to Henderson and six employees.

Councilman John Zaragoza’s request followed a Times story Tuesday that detailed how seven Parks and Facilities employees have received up to $6,256 each since October 1994 as members of a group called the Shared Savings Plan Committee. The committee was created to grant cash rewards to employees for coming up with creative ways of improving efficiency and implementing cost-cutting measures.

The shared savings plan is one of two programs in the parks department that rewards employees for cost-efficient ideas. Under a second program that has awarded smaller sums, any employee can be chosen for a Pay for Performance quarterly bonus of up to $300.

“What criteria did they use for allocating those funds?” asked Zaragoza. “Is this being divided equitably among all employees?”

Zaragoza said he met with Henderson on Tuesday and asked for a detailed explanation of how he and six other employees were selected as members of the Shared Savings Plan Committee. The councilman said he expects a full account--to be completed as early as next week--of where the program’s savings were made.

Henderson, who spearheaded the committee’s formation, has said that he appointed one park employee to the committee and that the rest of the panel was put together through nominations by other committee members.

Henderson said that since October 1994 the Shared Saving Plan Committee has come up with $86,000 in savings, of which $39,000 was paid to the seven employees, with the remaining $47,000 returned to the general fund.

In another matter Tuesday, Mayor Manuel Lopez said he wants information on the total number of consultants hired by city staff during the past three years. Lopez said he has been told the number of consultants has grown while the city’s work force has been reduced by 30% since 1994 through attrition and layoffs.

Lopez is concerned, he said, because of the high salaries some of those consultants receive. For example, Bill Chiat, an advisor to the city manager, makes $161,041 annually--nearly $51,000 more than outgoing City Manager Tom Frutchey.

“We have to look at department by department and see how the engine is running,” Lopez said.