Febru ry 21·27, 1988, Michigan CItizen
H.P., okays
pay
for
By Ron Seigel
The Highland Park City
Council voted Tuesday Feb. 16
to appro. e a resolution
proposed by City Councilman
Frank J. Ross to give employees
r cently dismissed by Highland
Park Mayor Martha-Scott their
total severance pay within five
working days including earned.
vacation pay and personal leave
pay within five working days.
The Scott Administra­
tion itself demonstrated support
for paying the employees such
benefits by putting the money
for this in an -revised budget it
proposed for council approval
on February 16 to reflect these
and other budget changes. Both
Ross' resolution and the budgets
were approved.
According to Ross,
employees that were terminated
"have been without wages" since
- the week of January 3, "a total of
44 days" and "have yet to receive
their severance pay."
Ross called this "contrary to
normal business practices" and
declared "this has not been the
norm in the termination of pre­
vious Highland, Park
employees." 1
Councilwoman Christine
Franklin indicated that the
fired
problem resulted from the
failure of the old Blackwell Ad­
ministration to put money in
escrow or make other provisions
for such expenses. She stated the
colt Administration had to
deal with the cost of severance
pay in an emergency budget.
Council President Lindsay
Porter stated he was abstaining
from voting on this resolution on
advice of attorney. Porter ex-
workers
pre ed concern about. the fact
that s me former appointees
were suing the city over their
termlnarions an others might
do so in the futur . Porter stated
that he had been ad . sed by both
city and private attornies not to
vote on this resolution, since
voting on it might be u ed in suits
against the city, which could cost
the taxpayers money and also
might put council memb r im-
partiality, in question if they
were called upon to deal with
employee grievanc s under the
charter.
Councilwoman Franklin
expres ed concern _ bout Ian:
guage in the resoluti n which
specified that in the future ter­
minated employees should
receive full severance pay
within two we k. h indicated
that orne part f the re luti n
, conflicted with pa t ordinances.
A resolution, she stated, cann t
under city law overturn an or­
dinance and it was impo sible
under the city charter to pa s a
new ordinance unless there were
three readings at three different
meetings.
She al contended that
there hould b limit on how
much former empl ye s h uld
allowed 1 colle 1 n unused -
vacati n pay and nu. d. ick
day ..
Sh crn pha: i:t '0 he a
v ling y '� to pay the .mployccs,
but n on pr vision. that th s
would b future pr cdurc In
other c e.
he added that th ne es ry
action ensuring the empl ye
were paid wa not ping th
re; lut io n but pa ing th
may r ' em rgency bud et
which included money f r u h
payment. J eph . mith al­
l rney for ninc-t rminated
employee who did fil uit e -
pre ed pleasure at hcarin that
hi. client w uld Jet th ir
cnefit . tin that whil h
tr ngly [cit that they wer I al­
ly entitled tit, he did not in­
clude the i u in the. uit hal­
lenging instead the I ality Ithe
di mis als them. elvc .
Feelin the ity "woul� vc
to b way off the mark" to deny
the e benefit ,'h t ld hi.
clients that the money w uld "be_
f rthcorning" nd gave th city"
the opp rtunity t make pay­
ment."
"I am happy to hear that it
has," Smith sta ed.
I In other action, the High-
iand Park City Council agreed
to:
- Pay all persons serving on.
the ele tion bard for the p -
cia I ninth di tr ict senatorial
mary election Tuesday
ebruary 23 --- 60 for chair-,
an, $55 for inspector , and the
s of $5 for attending the in­
struction meeting prior to the
election date.
Continued on next pa