Amid budget planning and an uncertain economic future, two Annapolis aldermen are proposing a hiring freeze that was met with a strong backlash this past week from the city’s mayor.
The controversial resolution recently was introduced by Republican Aldermen Frederick Paone and David Cordle Sr., who also requested that each of the city’s department heads submit reports justifying the need for any contractual employees.
“Until we know where the fiscal picture is going to go for the city, it’s not prudent to be hiring people,” Cordle said this week in a phone interview.
“We’re in such uncertain economic times that we have to take a good look before we go around hiring people willy-nilly.”
Mayor Ellen Moyer said the city’s finances are in good shape, and she was unpleasantly surprised by the aldermen’s resolution because they never raised the issue during council’s Dec. 13 budget meeting with city department heads.
“They had the opportunity to dialogue with department heads, and they didn’t do it,” she said.
“This looks to be a political bandwagon, and I think the public deserves better scrutiny.”
Moyer called the proposal “premature” because the budget figures are not yet available; therefore, the aldermen have no factual basis for their financial woes.
“Right now we know that our dollars and cents to provide effective public service are working, and we’re not losing revenue,” she said.
“If you’re going to do a reasonably good job, you want to look at things with goods facts and figures. That information, in its fullest, is not yet before us.”
Paone said he “disagreed with the mayor” on the city’s financial situation, citing the budget’s growth from $48 million to $81 million in the past several years.
“Why wait until we’re at death’s door to make cutbacks?” he said.
“We think the city’s not in particularly good financial shape, and this is simply a way to save money and re-examine necessary positions. It will force the city to examine what is necessary and what is not.”
For example, Cordle pointed to the dance instructor being hired by the Annapolis Recreation and Parks Department for a salary of up to $71,000 annually.
“I don’t think that’s a priority of government at this uncertain time,” he said.
“But [Moyer] stacks the finance committee to get her approvals … she hasn’t finished hiring all the people she wants to hire to pad the city’s payroll.”
In addition to imposing a freeze, Cordle and Paone want department heads to explain the need for continuance of any contractual employees, which make up about 90 of the city’s 600 employees.
“The resolution was to require department heads to come in and provide justification for [those positions] as well as limit any position to six months, so the new mayor won’t be saddled with any number of contractual employees that [Moyer] stacks up,” Cordle said.
“All these little things add up and become large sums of money. It’s taxpayers’ money and we’re not looking to see how fast we can spend it.”
Cordle, who has said he’s considering running for mayor next year, denied acting for political gain.
The city’s budget must be submitted in March.
