Council debated whether to deal with issue now or at the end of the fiscal year
By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald
The Burns City Council voted to pay Interim City Manager/Fire Chief Bill Guindon for 266 hours of comp time at the Nov. 12 meeting.
At the Oct. 22 meeting, Guindon said that the hours were accrued while he was serving strictly as fire chief, and that he now felt the city’s comp time policy was an unfunded liability. He noted that while city is currently saving money on the city manager’s salary, it would have the money to pay him $6,301.54 for the 266 hours of comp time. Guindon said now that he is serving as interim city manager, it would be impossible for him to take the time off.
The council decided to see if other city employees wanted to cash in their comp time hours as well.
At the Nov. 12 meeting, Guindon presented the council with three different comp time policies that he found in the city’s records. One of the policies advocated waiting until the end of the fiscal year to see if there was enough money in the budget to pay for comp time that employees were unable to use. He also said that at this time the only other city employee with a substantial amount of comp time was City Clerk Dauna Wensenk, and she did not want to cash in her hours.
Audience member and Burns resident Steve Cupernall told Guindon that from his perspective, as a department head, Guindon should have had the foresight to take time off during slow weeks, when he knew his comp hours were stacking up. “You have the say as to whether or not you work,” Cupernall said.
Guindon said that because of circumstances above and beyond his control, he was unable to take the time off. He also said that the city’s comp time policy is inconsistent and as interim city manager, he is trying to correct that. Guindon also said that the previous city manager failed to keep an eye on the comp time issue. “There’s no such thing as a 40-hour work week as a department head,” Guindon said.
Councilor Linda Johnson agreed with Guindon and said that he stepped in to help the city when the previous city manager resigned in September. She also said that the council should have taken more interest in the comp time hours accrued by department heads.
Mayor Laura Van Cleave said that the previous fire chief accrued a lot of comp time as well. She said that Guindon has put several policies in place at the fire department to help his volunteers run the department while he is filling in as the interim city manager.
Councilor Darwin Johnson said he did not agree with paying Guindon at this time. He felt the city needed to wait until the end of of the fiscal year in June to see whether there would be enough money in the budget to pay for the 266 hours. He maintained that if Guindon could take the time off from being the fire chief to be interim city manager, he could probably take the necessary amount of time off when he is no longer the city manger and when activities slowed down with the fire department.
Guindon appeared visibly upset at this point. “Councilor Johnson I think you are uneducated on the fire department,” he said. “You don’t know what I do.”
Councilor Darwin Johnson said he wasn’t saying Guindon didn’t deserve to be paid for the work he’d done, he simply wanted to wait until the end of the year, as the city has done in the past. He said that he felt he was speaking up for many people in the community who felt the same way.
Linda Johnson then moved to pay Guindon $6,301.54 for 266 hours of comp time. Councilor Dan Hoke seconded and the council voted to approve the payment with Hoke, Linda Johnson, Van Cleave and Sean Wilson voting in favor. Councilor Darwin Johnson was the lone nay vote, and councilors Bill Renwick and Craig LaFollette were absent.
In other business:
• the council approved the advertisement for the city manager position as well as the job description, which the hiring committee developed. The job will be advertised with a salary range of $40,000 to $53,000 and applications need to be in by Dec. 12. Councilor Darwin Johnson abstained from the voting as he is interested in the position;
• the council heard from resident Sam Kaser on issues regarding the Oregon Department of Transportation’s plans for changes to downtown Burns as well as changes to the Monroe Street intersection near Teague Motor Co. He had concerns regarding curb extensions, islands, bike lanes and access to local businesses. Councilor Linda Johnson allayed many of those concerns by saying input from the community has corrected many of those problems. She also noted that ODOT currently does not have the money to go forth with these projects. These are simply conceptual plans that could be referred to at some point in the future;
• Interim City Manager Guindon said that the late-night event at city hall went well. On Oct. 30, city hall stayed open until 9 p.m. so that residents could come in and chat with city employees about city issues. Guindon said the city will likely have another late night event, though perhaps only until 8 p.m. rather than 9 p.m.;
• the council gave Guindon the go-ahead to proceed with the planning of the city’s Christmas party, as long as no city funds were used to pay for it. Rhojo’s will cater the event at the Bistro, and city employees will pay for their own meals;
• the council heard from resident Fred Graham who had some complaints regarding last year’s snow plowing. He said the city had piled plowed snow in his and his neighbor’s driveway, making them impassable. Mayor Van Cleave referred the issue to Public Works Director Dave Cullens, who said he would look into the matter;
• the council approved an ordinance regarding criminal background checks;
• the council approved a $100 donation to the annual Harney County Hospice Wine and Food Festival, which took place on Nov. 15 at the Burns Elks Lodge;
• Councilor Bill Renwick arrived near the end of the meeting to talk about a letter he had received from Scotland from a man involved with the Robert Burns Society. In Scotland, they will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of the famous poet. They would like to recognize the City of Burns and the origin of its name. Renwick said he would send the requested documents to Scotland;
• Councilor Wilson gave a report on the airport committee, which discussed the moving of the fuel farm at the airport. They are also looking at replacing one of the runways;
• Councilor Linda Johnson gave a report on the safety committee and said the fire department is currently training new volunteers and has issued 160 burn permits. Both the police and fire departments participated in Red Ribbon Week at local schools, and the police department has received good feedback on the law enforcement partnership with Hines. There will be an open house on Dec. 10 at Burns City Hall to recognize the contributions of both the Burns and Hines police officers and firefighters. The reception will be from 5 to 6 p.m. and cake will be served;
• Councilor Darwin Johnson said that a community get-together with dancing and entertainment at the Memorial Building on Nov. 1 was a great success and that he is working with multiple groups within the community to organize more such events.
The next Burns City Council meeting will be at 6 p.m. Dec. 10 at Burns City Hall.
November 19th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I have been completely lost on this continuing issue since it was first reported. I have no idea what this city-speak is. What is “comp time?” At first, I thought the definition would come in the context while reading the articles. I resorted to a dictionary hoping “comp” wasn’t an acronym or some ghetto slang lost on me, accepted in popular American culture.
Comp- means something given freely. What the??! Is Burns doling out freebies, where is mine? I’ve never held a job with comps? Guess i was born on the wrong side of the railroad tracks. Looking across the firmament towards the heavens, I’ll probably never know the taste of caviar either.
November 20th, 2008 at 8:53 am
I have decided in my next life I want to work for the City of Burns. What a great opportunity. First of all you can get a high paying job by lying about your credentials. Then you can set yourself up for an even higher paying job by bamboozaling your superiors into thinking you are superman. And become your own boss with no accountability for what you do. Then you can rack up hours and hours of overtime and demand that your bosses (the city) pay you every single penny even though there may not be enough money for it. However your bosses want the matter investigated so what do they do but put you in charge of your own investigation? And you can blame all the screwups on the person whos job you took over. And take no ownership for your own actions. Not only do you get to do the investigation into the matter you still can convince the council that you deserve the money and they fall for it and give it to you! Does anybody but me see that there is something terribly wrong and crooked about this whole deal?
November 21st, 2008 at 7:52 am
Terri I agree with you 100%! Why did this council agree to giving him the $6301.54 when there is BARELY enough there to get them thru the rest of the year?
I am also surprised, well not really, that he is allowed to become “visibly upset” in a council meeting. I’m appalled to read that in the paper. How embarrassing to the rest of the council, city employees and espcially to the citzens of Burns all of whom he represents. I guess nobody wants to stand up and stop him from getting “visibly upset” at his fellow workers.
As for not checking his credentials any genius can look him up on the internet so why hasn’t the council?
November 21st, 2008 at 12:19 pm
A salaried employee gets comp time??? The interim city manager needs to propose a modification to the comp-time policy that excludes salaried employees. Managers should never get overtime. Was the chief an hourly employee? Was he also a union member? This reeks of abuse of public funds. The position of Fire Chief is most certainly exempt from overtime/comp-time under the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act). http://www.flsa.com/coverage.html
266 hours of comp-time? That’s about 3.5 extra hours per week over a period of one year, at time and a half, or an 8 hour and 40 minute day on average. Pretty normal or even low for most public managers I know and work with. What a racket. The 6 grand is an undeserved freebie handout. Too bad the chief is “upset” about objections to paying him. Nice example he sets.
November 21st, 2008 at 9:40 pm
BOARD FIRES CHIEF
Vic Vela, The Daily Record
Fire Chief BILL GUINDON ’s contract was terminated Thursday
during a Cañon City Fire District Board of Directors meeting, the
latest event in a series of problems within the district.
Meanwhile, the board also approved a vote of “no
confidence” in fellow board member, secretary treasurer Ben
Gowdy, who had been vocal in his public criticism of GUINDON .
Citing a “difference of philosophy,” the five-member
board voted unanimously to relieve GUINDON of his duties, effective
immediately.
“It was a mutual agreement between the fire district board
and the chief,” said board president Chuck McIntyre.
While the board would not comment on specifics, citing legalities
surrounding personnel matters, an anonymous source close to the board
said it was GUINDON ’s handling of “administrative matters in
the (fire) house” that led to his dismissal.
“The most important thing is running the fire house
right,” said the source. “That wasn’t happening.”
Still, there is very little explanation as to why GUINDON ’s
contract was terminated. GUINDON did not return a phone call
requesting comment by press time.
Criticism of GUINDON ’s performance as chief peaked in December
when David Goodwin, a 20-year fire house veteran, accused GUINDON
of “flagrant dishonesty” during a public board meeting.
Goodwin felt he was treated unfairly when attempting to bid on a
brush truck the department ultimately sold to the Cañon City
Recreation District. However, during a meeting the following week,
the board upheld the sale and decided against further action against
GUINDON regarding the matter.
GUINDON , who was hired as chief in May 2005, survived a call for
his dismissal in January as the board voted 3-2 to keep him as chief.
No reason was given by the board at that time as to what actions by
the chief led to the vote.
Gowdy had been candid in his public remarks in past board meetings,
having once called for GUINDON ’s suspension. It is not certain as to
whether Gowdy’s criticism of GUINDON stems from his son, Jason
Gowdy, once a volunteer firefighter, failing to get a full-time
position with the department because he did not pass required
testing.
However, a Gowdy family member said today Jason Gowdy was the
victim of an unfair and unplanned testing procedure by GUINDON .
The source said, until that point, Gowdy had been supportive of
GUINDON . The source also says the decision for the “no
confidence” for Gowdy was due in part to serve as a statement
the board was not influenced by any personal issues there may exist
between Gowdy and GUINDON .
The Gowdy “no confidence” vote was 3-1, with Gowdy
opposing and one member abstaining.
GUINDON will receive pay and family insurance for six months, as
part of the contract termination.
The acting chief is Dave Marshall, a 28-year fire district veteran
who is one of three battalion chiefs in the department.
The board will soon meet to determine a process to find a new
chief.
Vic Vela can be reached at vvela@ccdailyrecord.com.
November 22nd, 2008 at 5:19 am
Mr. Guindon is goanna get in the City of Hines pockets next, after all that truck he drives everywhere says he is serving Burns and Hines. Sounds to me like the boy has got is chubby hands in all of our pockets and is pretty proud of himself. Anybody who gets “visibly upset” when an even tempered family man of upstanding character (Darwin Johnson) makes a rational suggestion needs to become a volunteer patient at Harney County Behavioral Heath. Instead of crude statements about ones education of the fire department perhaps Guindon should admit he has not been a member of our community long enough to know what is best.
Thank you Darwin for standing up for our tax dollars, it is a shame our city decided to reward arrogance, I am sick of hearing stories about the Guindon family and their tempers, agendas, and manipulation of circumstances. Heck they can’t even keep their kids in our schools and have decided to home school em. I am sure they are more “educated” in those matters than our local teachers. Who are these people?
November 22nd, 2008 at 6:41 pm
One can only hope the City of Burns wises up ~and soon~ before Burns finds itself in even more of a debacle. Maybe more concerned citizens should be attending council meetings and contacting the current Mayor Van Cleave and Mayor-Elect Vohs as well as other council members to express their dissatisfaction.
Though, based on past experience, I’d wager Burns will welcome him into the slot permanently just to get the whole business done and over with and take the easy way out.
AS for Mr. Guindon getting into the City of Hines’s pockets…I am sure there are vigilant people who are wary of dealing with this fellow at all based on previous experience.
November 25th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Mr. Guindon is now threating City employee’s with their jobs if they talk to the city council, the new media or the public without first going through him.
November 25th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
reply to enough is enough:
As for Mr. Guindon and his roll at our city, it is very shameful. Our city council needs to step up to the plate and get this guy out of town. He has no right to threaten any employee, and should be repermanded for his own actions. The council has agreed to compensate him for dollars that he didn’t have to prove, just convinced the council by his word, and just because the mayor hears the sirens going off she is convinced that he has put all those hours in. Who does he answer to? Why is it that when he became the interim city manager he was able to table this comp time? If it were so important he be paid, then why didn’t he ask for it while he was fire cheif?
Yes, Terri I do agree with your remark about something is terribly wrong and crooked about this whole deal.
The city of burns has become the talk of the county, and is terrible to see this type of activity going on when the economy is in the shape it is. The public seems to be worried about employees driving around doing their jobs, and don’t hesitate to complain about that, but this Mr. Guindon has not set any good example as management in our eyes.
November 25th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
OMG!! HELLO! Big red flag here! What is Guindon hiding that he is so afraid of the pubic hearing about??? The only reason he would put a gag order in place is if he’s afraid of the good citizens of our community finding out the truth about something or another. Seems to me that there is something illegal about this. This is just another example of MR. HIGH AND MIGHTY’s power grabs. He wants to run everyone and everything in the City of Burns according to him and him alone. And anyone that dares to say one word against him is going to suffer the consequences. Just like he did to all the firefighters that he fired. Money and Power is all that he seems to care about. And it appears that he really doesn’t care who he steps on or hurts to get what he wants. I would really like to see all the city employees get together and stand up against this form of tyrany. After all he can’t fire EVERYONE can he? If he did he wouldn’t have a city to run then would he.
November 26th, 2008 at 9:17 am
I find it odd that with the BVFD being made up of volunteers, the fire chief doesn’t volunteer some of his time. I also find it to be unacceptable that we can find the money in the budget to pay him for comp time (which he could easily take time off while Dauna minds the store)but we don’t have money to repaint the Fire truck.
Hines told him prior to the truck being painted that they didn’t want that phrase on it and he did it anyway. He should have to pay to fix it, not the citizens of Burns.
When is the city council going to get a clue that this man is trouble?
December 15th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Now he needs a flak jacket…Bill, I KNOW you know about this blog. Why don’t you just get some boxes, pack your belongings, and leave town? If you need protection, I think you are in the wrong community. Leave that kind of stuff in the cities where it belongs. At what point are you going to realize that you and your pompus ways are not welcome here anymore? It’s not a threat to ask you to please leave our community…it is a matter of respect for you to take the initiative and do it yourself.