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Mayor Under Fire For Granting Time Off, Pay Raises Without Approval
February 21, 2017
Century Mayor Henry Hawkins came under fire Monday night after it was revealed that he give town employees paid time off and across the board pay raises, all in apparent violation of the town charter.
Hawkins admitted that since taking office in January, he has given each town employee a 53-cent per hour pay increase and has allowed each employee to take four paid hours per month off. The changes, he said, were to boost employee morale.
The information came to light during the public forum period of Monday night’s town council meeting as resident Edna Earle Barnes questioned Hawkins about “rumors” that she heard.
“It’s a morale booster,” Hawkin said.
“Well it’s not boosting the morale of the citizens of the town,” Barnes replied.
“My job is take care of the employees,” the mayor said, “and the employees with take care of the town.”
“No,” Barnes interjected, “Your job is to take care of the town.”
The money to fund the 53-cent per hour pay increase for each employee came from the salary of street department employee that quit in January and was not replaced. Hawkins said that since the funds were already budgeted for salaries, he simply divided the salary among the remaining employees.
But council president Ann Brooks said Hawkin’s actions were wrong and in excess of a $500 spending limit imposed by the town charter. She said employee raises and policies are to be approved by the council.
“We are suppose to approve any spending over $500,” Brooks said.
Hawkins openly came under verbal attack by local residents in attendance at the meeting. Several expressed displeasure that the behind the scene pay raises were granted during a time Hawkins has said the town needs to raise water, sewer and gas rates in order to remain financially viable.
“You are building morale with your employees, but you are not doing it with the citizens of the town,” Barnes said. “You are suppose to be looking out for us.”
On a motion from council member Kevin Stead, the council voted to remove the pay raise and eliminate the newly granted paid time off for each employee. Stead also called for any such future action by the mayor be subject to council approval.
Pictured top: Mayor Henry Hawkins listens to a discussion Monday night as Town Clerk Leslie Howington takes notes. Pictured inset: Century resident Edna Earle Barnes addresses the council. Pictured below: The Century Town Council discusses pay raises granted to employees without their permission. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
37 Responses to “Mayor Under Fire For Granting Time Off, Pay Raises Without Approval”
Okay let’s bring all concerned and inquiring minds up-to-date. First of all the fine people who work in City Hall are doing a fine job. I don’t think anyone would argue that. If you come in there they will go out of their way to help you anyway they can. It’s $0.53 what’s the complaint about , it’s long overdue. The job of a Mayor is to see a need and fill it ,especially for people he depends on to get his job done , so all that being said somebody needs to get a hobby but let The Mayor do his job and let the wonderful staff continue to do theirs. Are we clear? Thank you and have a safe and pleasant evening. God Bless America …God bless century! P.s. however , just an FYI Mr. Mayor, In the future I would consult with my council members prior to doing such actions, just a thought
let the man do his job.already geez
So as long as he is trying to do the right thing it does not matter how he goes about it.
The mayor don’t think he’s above the law ,helping the employees is above the law? He may have went about it the wrong way , maybe he thought his fellow council members wouldn’t be against him doing the right thing, it’s a shame the council couldn’t discuss that among themselves before there meeting, they need more young people in their, some can’t see past the 60s new ideas can help the people and Budgets ,first start with your own employees, their a lots of ways to bring in money to the city I’ll share it with them, if that way another council man idea that wouldn’t been a problem it’s good that happen now he get to see who’s against him. Good luck keep trying
Why do so many of you support a person that thinks town laws do not apply to him. Give the workers a pay raise but do it right. We do not need a mayor that thinks he is above the law. Most of you missed the whole point of the story.
REGARDING:
“Allow. Me to ANSWER to the ” TIME OFF TO WASH THEIR UNIFORMS” tongue in cheek comment…”
You left out the critical part of the note, “their OWN”.
Chris wasn’t complaining about their clothes being dirty but commenting on the fact that doing laundry unpaid in their own machines on their own time in their own homes had been added to their lives — a benefit of their jobs they had prior to the change and under which they had been hired.
This may not have been good for morale.
David for clean shirts and shirt cleaners
@Lea
You are absolutely right!!
Let’s hear it for the town employees. I could list them one by one but do not want to leave anyone out.
I hope our town can thrive and offer raises and promotion across the board, but it does have to be in line with the town charter or the council has no other choice really, I think.
I am not sure why they are not filling the street department position, it seems there must be work that need to be done at that level. I suppose, what the Mayor came up with can be brought before the council and voted on.
Allow. Me to ANSWER to the ” TIME OFF TO WASH THEIR UNIFORMS” tongue in cheek comment…
What you are seeing on these employees is called WORK !
It’s Ground in STAINS from street, red dirt, water main breaks and SWEAT.. They have been waiting on new UNIFORMS now for quite a while ( upon approval of the CITY COUNCIL).. These guys BUST their Butts DAILY keeping your water on ,Streets and parks clean ,and they do it with LITTLE TO NO THANKS from the public.
When the tornado hit WHERE do you think these guys were? They were already gearing up ready to clear YOUR HOMES and streets from downed trees and debris BEFORE ANYONE had called them to come to work… Again No atta boys there..
So before you Pass judgment on what YOU THINK these employees are doing on a daily basis , perhaps you should request a ride along and DO EXACTLY the same thing they do
Within a work day which I might add, DOES NOT ALWAYS end at 330…Pehaps while strolling through our quaint little town, you come upon a town employee , Try a THANK YOU once in a while instead of ridicule. Otherwise Go apply and take a street position if you think you could do it better ..
Here’s my two cents. While working all my years with Esc’ Co’, I never worked with a department that done a dollar amount across the board raise. They always done what they would call an “across the board raise”, but done it in a % amount. I never agreed with this and I’ll explain. If you give a 10% across the board raise to two different employees with one making 15K a year, that employee would get an extra 1500.00 a year. Within that same department, another employee making 45K a year would receive an extra 4500.00 a year. Now if you take the Sheriffs Office for a very good example and multiply that by the amount of employees it has, you’re talking a lot of money for one year of “across the board raises”. If you take those same two employees under the new Mayors guidelines, both would get a 1102.40 [combined 2204.80] per year raise in lieu of a combined total from the “across the board” raise above of 6000.00. Now it kind of gives you an idea of how much the Tax Payers foot this long standing way of giving out raises and why the budgets are always so high for departments such as the Sheriffs Office. A common employee working for let’s say Jane Doe’s Construction Co’ would be grateful for a .53 cent per hour raise but would be even happier at a 10%. The only problem is the regular owner of that company doesn’t have the check book that the Co’ does with the Tax Payers footing the bill. This is just a simple way at looking at raises and the difference of one with a budget such as the construction co’ owner and county and state politics in regards to raises. To sum it up, my hat is off to the new Mayor for his way of thinking and keep up the good work. I’m sure that some of the old Mayor’s friends/family were in attendance at the Public meeting just to try and make you look bad. Keep looking past them into what you want to accomplish and keep trying to take care of your employees like you are. In turn, those same employees will take care of your town and citizens with more pride. Mike Amerson
So how can we get these employees a raise? And other council members why did you not speak up, you’ve been there a long time…leave it for the new guy?? You better hope he gets elected..only one with the guts to do the right thing.
Is this karma for Hawkings councilmen days…
Mayor Hawkins, you did not fail to try and that is the main thing. Keep trying! I want to see changes in Century that make me question “Where Am I”..It could be a cute town.
Perhaps the day off with pay will give town employees time to wash their own uniforms.
>>>>If the town can afford $50.000 water park….
The water park was paid for with state grant money that could only be used for that purpose
Why have rules and laws if they do not matter. Sounds to me like a dictator syndrome. Employees may deserve a pay raise but it must be done correctly. Heck even I deserve a payraise on my retirement. Impeach the mayor if he breaks the law.
If the town can afford $50.000 water park , what wrong with investing in the people that’s keeps the town clean I know people there and also know him give a person something to work for your get more , a raise is overdue also that $50,000 could have been us to help the people when that tornado came there , they don’t complain with the governor of Florida why complain when someone trying to help the people. You think pickings up trash is easy?
If the town can afford $50.000 water park , what wrong with investing in the people that’s keeps the town clean I know people there and also know him give a person something to work for your get more a raise is overdue
4 hours PTO per month is one week and a day of vacation per year.
Over and above what the might already earn.
No good deed goes unpunished! Certainly, as Mayor of Century, he has discretionary
powers and as elected, let the man do his job of trying to salvage the ship state named Century, FL.
Although there may have been some tension here, all in all I see it a positive sign.
The entire government, mayor, council and citizens are waking up and the town (all of us) should function– not have dysfunction.
The council are not yes men to the mayor, the citizens are watching, paying attention to not only the officials but to the employees and yes their neighbors.
The mayor wants to encourage his employees, but all are held accountable. It would do us well to read the charter, I have been.
I think the mayor is really trying and has his heart in the right place.
I am so impressed with Councilman Stead. He certainly needs to be the man voted in, I believe he will be knowledgeable fair, balanced yet forward thinking and I have seen a twitter account, he will connect people with jobs, a truly good intelligent man. Hope the voters realize this.
Read the rules, they were set up for us to function and be responsible each and everyone. No good ole boy, company boss, whoa as me I’m poor I deserve special attention, I can’t make a living so I sell drugs…blah blah..
Good job Ms Barnes.
https://www.municode.com/library/fl/century/codes/code_of_ordinances
Paid time off? when did it change where you get paid for not working? That is called a vacation.
I commend the mayor for thinking outside the box and trying to do something for the employees. If you work for the State, county, or a city, pay is way low for what most of these places want and require of their workers. In some cases, they require large amounts of certifications yet do not want to pay a decent salary because it will cause taxes to increase. In return you get workers who have no push to do better or get things done fast. I can say this since I work for the State as a licensed engineer. The mayor just needs to learn how to build the relationships with the council members so that they all can work for the common good of the town. If that raise to the city is going to break them up, and it came from salaries already in place but positions not filled, Then I think the city has way more issues in front of them. Like so many government offices, both local, state, and federal, bureaucracy eats up funds quickly. I would hope a small town could be way more efficient and quick to make decisions. Thank you
I too believe the mayor had good intentions but should have followed protocol. I hope something can be worked out and agreed on for the employees who deserve a raise! Get with the times Century! Paid time off is something many employers offer. Even the little locally owned company I work for (4 employees) offers PTO!
For those who don’t understand the difference between ETHICS & MORALE here….
ETHICS – moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity.
MORALE (NOT MORAL) – the confidence, enthusiasm, and discipline of a person or group at a particular time.
I am all for the workers getting a raise when needed, but it should always go through proper government channels. As Mike said, we have checks and balances through all our government entities and one pass over could lead to a much bigger problem later. I suggest that the town vehicles not be running all over town eight hours a day going seemingly no where. There will be five or six Town of Century trucks riding around, passing each other with no certain destination. I understand the need to travel to certain work locations but just watch the towns traffic and you see they seem to be going nowhere! It seems they are acting as traffic cops or policing the streets as they ride.
Personally, I think giving the employees a few hours off a month with pay a splendid idea! It gives the fellows time for appointments or needs they have that cannot be accomplished on a full work schedule. I say give our new mayor time and respect and see if he can make a difference. He is “Our Mayor” that was elected by “we the people”, whether you voted for him or not!
Thanks Mrs. Barnes for speaking up for the people and drawing attention to this. Mayor Hawkins you will learn quickly that You can’t use public monies to operate a Charity and miss use the same without proper action of the Council. As stated already its the check and balance system. Figure up the 53 cent per hour increase and the half day off per month for each employee over a years time amounts to enough to probably pay the water sewer and garbage for well over 100 homes. When you look at this and you wanting to raise rates on services and the turn around cut services just does not sit well with the citizens. I suggest that you look at the map showing the town limits, read the charter, pay attention to what work the employees are getting done on a day or week basis and then focus on what you can do for the citizens. You have a lot of work that can be done and seemingly nothing gets done. just saying
Giving money to raise ethics? Give me a break. Since when has money and ethics every mixed appropriately? The mayor doesn’t even have the ethics to follow protocol, how can he instill it into the city employees who lack it?
I’ll be forwarding bills to the city council for payment since you think it’s ok to take money away from your employees who work hard for this town and earned every last penny, SHAME ON YOU ALL
I would like to know what city employees in say Pensacola or Atmore or maybe Brewton make an hour and how often they get raises? I would like to know this so we can have a little context on what neighboring towns and cities are paying there people versus Century.
I like the way this man thinks and I believe his heart is in the right place. That Mayor Hawkins has on his heart the morale and welfare of the City Employees is commendable. I applaud this creative method to afford pay raises for them. I encourage the Mayor to keep thinking out of the box, but also to learn the rules, make alliances, and present such innovative ideas which are beyond his authority to the Town Council for their approval.
And Town Council, it is my hope that you make a way to allow the City Employees to keep these raises and NOT revoke them. Moving forward, have confidence that your Mayor will work within the bounds of his office.
Well that didn’t take long! Did it?
Total agreement with Nicole. Thanks for trying to create better work ethics, kudos to you Mayor.
I don’t know the mayor Century, but I’m sure he just got a good dose of humble pie.
Shame on the council! There are people who have been working for the town for 15 and twenty years who make little more than minimum wage. I can assure you that none of the council are trying to raise families on such a paltry wage. At the end of the day, people who live and work in the town who make a fair wage will value their jobs and continue to work for the town. Without fair pay those who are on the ball will move on to jobs that pay them what they are worth. Those who are slack will stay. Eventually you have a staff full of slackers. What kind of price can you put on experience and loyalty? It appears that Mayor Hawkins is the only one who understands this concept.
If nothing changes, nothing changes.
His heart was in the right place but he needs to go through the proper channels and follow protocol, lest he in up with the Bathsheba Syndrome.
This mayor has come in and is causing concern. Wanting to raise rates and giving raises without approval of elected officials. If our water, and gas systems are in dire need, he is not starting off well with his decisions.
That’s right Henry, it’s a system of checks & balances, one side checks & ta other balances, & between the 2 nothing ever gets done or changes. Just like Prez Trump trying to keep us from getting overrun like the UK & the rest of the government fighting him tooth & nail to try & make it happen.
I myself think giving our town employees a pay raise and a little town off was a great idea yes he should have talked with the board first but I know a bunch of the town workers that have been working for the town for many year and they deserved it.