No fees for city job seekers

A proposal to begin charging job seekers at City Hall a fee fell flat this week.
“There’s other ways we can save money,” said city Councilor Frank Nicastro, who heads the Salary Committee.
The salary panel killed the request because its members feared that imposing a fee for those seeking to take the police and fire tests – the first step toward getting a public safety position in Bristol – could potentially keep good people from coming forward.
Personnel Director Diane Ferguson said that charging about $12 an applicant would bring the city about $2,000 annually, an idea she said was spurred by Mayor Art Ward’s request that department chiefs look for ways to bring in new revenue to cover costs.
Many municipalities in the state charge fees for entry level police and fire tests, Ferguson said, including West Hartford, which imposes a $20 charge; New Britain, which asks for $35; and Waterbury, which socks residents for $75 and out-of-towners for $100.
City Councilor Mike Rimcoski suggested that if Bristol opted to begin imposing fees, it should ask for $10 from residents and $15 from those hailing from other towns. He said it would probably average out to about $12 per applicant that way.
Ferguson said there are about 100 applicants annually for firefighter jobs and usually a bit less for police positions.
Hitting them up for the expenses involved would be “a way to cover some of the costs for the testing,” Ferguson said.
City Councilor Cliff Block said that he worries that if the city begins requiring a fee, some qualified people won’t bother to apply.
“I don’t want to deter anyone,” Block said. “I’d like as many people tested as possible so we get the best and the brightest.”
Block said that the $2,000 or so the city might get from test-takers is “not going to make much of a difference in the budget.”
“Not the way you vote,” Rimcoski responded.
But Rimcoski agreed that the $2,000 the city might gain is “peanuts” in the big picture.
Nicastro said he had “mixed feelings” about the issue, but that Block had made a good argument for leaving the system the way it is.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Hiring locals not as easy as it sounds

Changing hiring rules at City Hall to make it easier for Bristol residents to get entry-level jobs may be harder than supporters realized.
The top problem may be that it’s not easy to determine where somebody lives.
“It’s difficult to police,” said Personnel Director Diane Ferguson. “I don’t know how you’re going to know.”
It would be relatively easy, officials said Wednesday, for somebody to use a Bristol address on a job application for a municipal position.
Beyond that, Ferguson said, it isn’t clear just how the city could give its residents a leg up in the process.
Towns that offer their residents a boost in seeking jobs usually give them extra points on a Civil Service scale, she said. But Bristol doesn’t use that system in its hiring.
So it isn’t obvious how officials could provide a built-in advantage for residents without revising the entire hiring system.
The city uses a 100-point scale in grading applicants for police and fire jobs, officials said, and because of that it has been able to offer veterans an extra 5 points on top of their test scores, perhaps propelling some job seekers into contention for a position.
But other city positions, including the custodial and public works spots that city Councilor Mike Rimcoski is aiming to hand to Bristol residents, are not filled using a point system.
Ferguson said that her office and the relevant departmental supervisors weed through applications to determine which ones are most qualified for the positions that are open.
The best of the bunch, officials said, are interviewed in person before hiring decisions are made.
Rimcoski said hiring locally would mean more money would be kept in the city’s economy.
But Councilor Cliff Block said that he would rather the city hire based on merit so that it gets the best employees possible.
“Cliff Block doesn’t want to give local people the job,” Rimcoski said.
Block fired back that if the city builds two new schools and funds its education system properly, “the best and brightest” applicants will come from Bristol.
Ferguson said about 58 percent of city positions are filled by Bristol residents currently.
“That’s lousy,” Rimcoski said.
“Because our schools are lousy,” city Councilor Craig Minor responded.
“You must have gone to them,” Rimcoski fired back.
The Salary Committee agreed to consider the issue further next month.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Hire Bristol folks first?

A new bid to have the city hire more Bristol residents is likely going nowhere.
City Councilor Mike Rimcoski said that he wants the personnel office to give city residents a leg up when it comes to claiming entry level jobs on the municipal payroll.
Rimcoski said he can’t understand why the city would put its own residents on an equal footing with people who live elsewhere, at least when it comes to entry level positions that don’t require special skills.
At least some of his colleagues disagree.
“I want the best person for the job,” city Councilor Craig Minor said.
He added that historically, officials have shown “a penchant for corruption” in hiring locally rather than taking the most qualified applicant.
Two other councilors, Cliff Block and Ken Cockayne, said they agree with Minor’s position.
Neither Minor nor any other official wanted to explain the corruption comment, but officials and city workers have said over the years that employees have been hired because they had relatives in positions of power.
The Salary Committee is going to look into Rimcoski’s proposal to see if it makes sense.
“It can’t hurt to discuss it,” city Councilor Frank Nicastro said.
Mayor Art Ward said that given the hard economic times that are socking many families, “consideration should be given” to hiring locally when possible.
City Councilor Kevin McCauley said that if two people are equally qualified and one is from Bristol, it should matter. Residents contribute more to the city as a whole, he said.
Minor said he agrees that the salary panel ought to take up the issue “so it can be discredited and put to bed.”
Rimcoski said that Minor’s view may be “colored somewhat” because he holds a full-time job as the town planner of Cromwell.
Rimcoski said that if wanted a city job in an entry level post, he ought to get it before someone from another town.
“Let’s face it. I could be a laborer or a custodian,” Rimcoski said.
“I’d hire you,” Minor said in response.
“So you could fire me,” Rimcoski fired back.
“Or work you to death,” Minor answered.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com