Welcome to the Tuesday September September 23rd Finance Utilities Rules Committee meeting.

We have a number of constituents and employees in the room.

So we're going to start off this meeting by public comment.

Just uh some ground rules real quick.

Um we try to keep public comment to three minutes.

So when whoever liked to step up first, and then uh if you had a particular order you wanted to go in, just come up and press the button.

It looks like it's already pressed.

The the red light there will show that um that we can that you're being recorded and that your voice is being amplified.

You're the green um the green light will uh show green while you have your three minutes.

Yellow will give you a brief warning, and then red says when you're three uh three minutes up, or not to me hard and fast, but it's just a way to try to get through the get through all the comments in an efficient manner.

So whoever would like to speak first, please uh approach the podium.

Just state your name, please, for the record.

I apologize, I am not a public speaker.

Uh hello, my name is Jim Spelpring.

I'm a Carmel resident and a 45 year employee of the city of Carmel.

I'm speaking for myself, but I believe the other nine street department employees here tonight would agree with my concerns.

I had questions about the salary study that was conducted.

We were told in a letter that our department was being paid basically the same as other street departments around us.

To me, that was a slap in the face.

I am not sure that everyone knows what we do.

Our department does more than just plowing snow and paving roads, and I must say we do a great job at doing both.

Ask our residents who live in Carmel and work in Marion County.

We do more, including watering flowers, emptying trash cans, all festivals throughout the year, including setting up and tearing down the Christmas market, building huts, ice rinks, fixing potholes, parking garages, install signs and banners.

We take care of fountains and irrigations in the roundabouts, statues, repair storm inlets, and then also natural disasters and more.

This is just a few of the things that we do, not everything.

We also do uh other jobs for other departments, including building offices, moving city offices, hanging TVs, hanging artwork, and more projects that are asked of us.

We are not equal to me, we are above and beyond.

We are working a lot of hours with no overtime opportunities.

I'm sure all the civilian employees feel the same about their duties.

We are grateful to receive comp time, but comp time does not help pay the bills.

Thank you for all the time you have devoted toward the budget process.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Any other public like to come speak.

I would agree that we have the best street department in the state and probably the nation.

So thank you for all of what you do.

And um, but the the core um the core core concern of the matter is specifically the uh loss of uh ability to crew overtime.

Is that is that the core matter?

I just want to make sure I understood that correctly.

Well, yeah, I believe so.

And then also you got it, yeah.

I just want to make sure we and on the committee fully understand.

Um, yes, I believe so.

That's uh a good part of it, but then uh we feel that uh the salary study was not very accurate.

I don't know where this study came from or who conducted it, but like I said, you know, uh we feel that our department does more than what others do, and we're being paid the same.

So the overtime, yes, is an issue.

Um I'm sure it is with all the other city employees, the other departments.

Um so there's nine of us here from the street and other departments, so we're just you know concerned about that.

You know, we're just wondering why can't we?

Why not us?

And with all the hours that we all are working, not only street, but everybody.

Yeah, you know, it's a concern.

Okay.

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Mr.

Chairman?

Yes, sir.

Um so um I think so.