02 City Council (9/04/03) - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL September 4, 2003 The City Council of the City of Paris met in regular session, Monday, September 4, 2003, 5:00 P.M., at Paris Junior College, Bobby R. Walters Applied Technology Building Room 1206, 2400 Clarksville Street, Paris, Texas. Mayor Curtis Fendley called the meeting to order with the following Council Members present: Jim Bell, Francine Neeley, Willie Weekly, Sr., and Benny Plata. Also present were City Manager Michael E. Malone, City Attorney Larry W. Schenk, and City Clerk Mattie Cunningham. Mayor Fendley called for input from interested citizens of Paris proposing services or projects to be included in the 2003-2004 City of Paris Budget and if there was anyone in the audience who would like to speak on a particular item to come forward. Michael Louis Alexander, employed by the City of Paris as a Code Encodement Officer for the last 20 years, appeared before the City Council. Mr. Alexander said the issues that he would like to address are the health care issue and employee benefits. He said the people that are here tonight does not show a fair representation of employee concern about their health care benefits. Mr. Alexander said the city has been good to them over the years. Mr. Alexander said his main reason and incentive for working for the City of Paris for the past 20 years is the benefits the city offers. It has helped him raise a family and he did not have to worry about his children receiving good health care. Mr. Alexander said what he is asking, and he knew that the city is going to have to do something and it has to be addressed, is that the City Council see if there could be cuts made somewhere else. He felt that any city employee is willing to compromise. Mr. Alexander said he is down at Public Works every morning and he sees men that are working for a private contractor that have asked him if there are openings in the city, and his comments were that these men are making $3.00 or $4.00 an hour more than what a city employee doing the same thing would, so he asks why would he want to come to work for the city, and the main reason they say is they need some kind of benefits for their family.