Mayor Tyrone Garner backed an ordinance on Thursday night that would cut the benefits the mayor could receive for accrued vacation time, compensatory time and sick leave.
The measure was approved unanimously by the Unified Government Commission. Under the change, the mayor also would not be paid for unused time upon leaving office.
At the Feb. 24 meeting, Mayor Garner said as an elected official, he doesn’t believe the mayor should accrue sick time. He said he doesn’t believe he should be paid any compensation beyond what was approved in the UG ordinance, and that he doesn’t believe he should receive benefits beyond the ordinance.
UG Chief Legal Counsel Misty Brown said the charter outlined the salary and benefits of the mayor. In 2017 the UG Commission voted to amend the compensation of the mayor. The charter ordinance originally said the UG mayor should receive the same compensation and benefits that the Kansas City, Kansas, mayor had received.
Those who are elected to offices traditionally do not accrue sick time, vacation time and comp time, Brown said.
However, past mayors have tracked and logged these hours, receiving compensation for them when they leave office.
Brown said there was a debate in 1997 whether the mayor should have vacation and sick leave. The issue went to the Kansas state wage and hour board, and a determination was made in favor of the mayor receiving those benefits, she said.
Brown said the change to the ordinance on Thursday night would apply only to the mayor, not to the staff of the mayor. The mayor’s staff members are UG employees and accrue vacation time, she said. The action taken on Thursday night also does not apply to any other elected officials, just to the mayor. The UG commissioners, who are elected, do not receive vacation time, according to Brown.
“I didn’t feel as an elected official, I should receive any benefits not given to any other official,” Mayor Garner said.
The ordinance leaves most of the provisions of Section 2-58 of Chapter 2 intact. The mayor’s compensation will not be less than $120,000 under the ordinance, and there is an annual cost-of-living increase approved in 2017. The cost-of-living increase will be based on the consumer price index and also on the average percentage of increases that UG negotiates with labor.
The ordinance also says the mayor will have medical and dental insurance, as well as participation in the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System. It also says the mayor will be provided a UG car with fuel and maintenance included.
In other action, Mayor Garner held a public comment time during the 7 p.m. meeting, in which residents were allowed to talk about issues related to the UG.
Several persons, including some former candidates, spoke at the meeting. The topics included a request for audits of the UG and BPU, and finding out why money is spent in one part of the county and not others; inclusion of minority developers on development projects; more employees who could return calls made to inspectors; a resident request that with any development in the county, 25 percent should go to Black developers and 25 percent to Hispanic developers; a request for police to look into shootings near 38th and Leavenworth Road; consistency in requiring building permits; more funding for programs at community centers; a resident who had a case pending; help for the old Quindaro area; and more development in the northeast area through an urban initiative program.