Skip to main content
Loading…
This section is included in your selections.

The following is the authorized process for meeting and conferring:

(A) An eligible Certified Employee Organization may initiate the Meet and Confer process set forth in this section by submitting proposals regarding those items within the scope of the Meet and Confer process that affect the Employee Group it represents to the City Manager and advising that the Employee Group wants to proceed under the Meet and Confer Process. All proposals submitted to the City Manager by the Employee Organization must be in writing and shall specifically delineate the issues that will be discussed in the Meet and Confer process. Proposals shall be submitted no earlier than November 1st and no later than November 30th prior to a Budget Year.

(B) Upon receiving a proposal from a Certified Employee Organization and response from the City Manager, representatives of the Employee Organization and the City Manager or their designated representative(s) shall begin "meeting and conferring" at mutually agreed upon times (likely January through March) and places within the City, for the purpose of agreeing upon items to be included in a written Memorandum Of Understanding ("MOU"). This process is intended to work toward understanding of issues and identifying the interests that underlie each side’s issues and positions. Meetings shall continue until an agreement, for the purposes of Meet and Confer, is reached or impasse is declared by either party. Meeting ground rules shall be established, mutually agreed upon, and adhered to while meeting and conferring.

(C) Only those issues identified in the Certified Employee Organization’s initial proposals and those raised by the City Manager and/or in the City Manager’s response shall be discussed during the Meet and Confer process, unless otherwise mutually agreed.

(D) The City Manager or designee and the representative of the Employee Organization shall reduce all areas of agreement, for the purposes of Meet and Confer, to writing. If agreement has not been reached on a subject by April 1st preceding the Budget Year, by mutual agreement of both parties, a neutral facilitator may be requested to assist the parties to reach an agreement. The neutral facilitator shall be from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service or a non-employee of the City who is mutually agreed upon by the City Manager or designee and the representative of the Certified Employee Organization. Any costs for the neutral facilitator shall be equally shared between the City and the Employee Organization.

(E) If agreement has not been reached on all items to be included in a MOU by April 15th, the City Manager or designee will present a final offer for a MOU to the representative of the Employee Organization. The Employee Organization may prepare written comments concerning the final offer. If the Employee Organization prepares written comments, such comments must be submitted to the City Manager by April 30th. The final offer and written comments, if any, will be presented by May 1st to the Council for their consideration.

(F) The City Council shall have sole discretion to accept or reject any proposal, recommendation, reports or offers that result from the Meet and Confer Process. Final action by the Mayor and Council upon the issues raised during the Meet and Confer process will serve as the MOU for the following Budget Year.

(G) Nothing in this article shall be construed to limit the Mayor and Council’s authority to modify, amend or terminate a MOU or any part of it at any time, and in their discretion. (Ord. 11-1249, passed 10-24-2011; Am. Ord. 12-1279, passed 12-10-2012; Am. Ord. 19-1455, passed 10-28-2019; Am. Ord. 22-1558, passed 9-26-2022)