Fianance Committee Rejects Employee Study

The Cheyenne City Council Finance Committee on Monday voted against a proposal to conduct a city personnel study that would look at several areas, including employee compensation and staffing. Despite the committee vote, however, the proposal still goes on to the full city council Monday night.

Councilman Jack Spiker, who joined councilman Don Pierson in voting against the proposal, says conducting the survey is pointless because the city simply doesn't have the money to implement many of the likely recommendations he thinks the report would put forward, including raises for city employees. Spiker also said a similar study conducted for the city in 1996 has been of little value and is largely forgotten. Spiker said he would be in favor of taking the roughly $64 thousand the survey would cost and using it for raises for city employees. But city employee Jason Sanchez said the survey would give the city information that could be used to make personnel decisions, including layoffs if that should become necessary. Sanchez said the city currently lacks the facts to make such decisions intelligently. Despite Monday's 2-0 vote against the study, Pierson said he expects the full council to reverse that decision and vote in favor of the study on Monday night.