Travis County Commissioners Court
April 14, 2009,
Item A1
Now, we have a1 that that I looked at and thought about, any questions, do we need to take it into executive session.
mr.
smith is here just in case there are questions.
the backup sort of lays out the factual circumstances.
and we have an agreement with them currently, and if we approve a1 we would simply update that agreement, change the figures and dates et cetera.
>> actually, the agreement that you have with you now addresses the issue of retirement, and he has agreed that he will not retire from the county and ask the retirement system to pay him his retirement annuity unless he gives you 30 days notice that he is going to do that, and if he does that, then, that creates complications for him remaining an employee because of the need -- because under county policy he couldn't be employed for 930 days and you couldn't have an agreement that you will employ him at the end of the 90 days.
it has to be a real piecing of employment and when he became an employee, again, he would be on the retirement system as -- with a separate account.
what you have done with him for the period of time that he has worked is made him an employee at a half time rate and set his salary at whatever you set his salary at.
i don't remember 2 exact numbers.
>> 62,000, isn't it, currently?
>> is that right?
i can look it up.
i notice in the backup.
i just --
>> it is about that amount.
>> but -- but -- and if you are reappointing him, if you wanted to do it in the same manner you had done it in the past year, what you would do is give him a job offer as a half time employee at the rate that you agree on with him.
>> the requested rate is 72280, and we would have the same understanding regarding refraining from retirement as we've had for the last year?
>> uh-huh.
>> if we need legal advice, we can take it into executive session, if we need a fuller discussion, we can deal with personnel, too?
>> you are going to be out, right, for vacation.
>> actually it is a leave without pay.
>> okay.
>> and that -- if -- if you choose to reappoint me, it might be helpful for our internal procedures to state that it is acceptable for me to have a leave without pay between June 1 and October 1, and all that does, I receive no compensation, but it does keep my status as an employee without a break in service.
and that will -- and is, in essence, the exact same circumstance that occurred last summer.
>> okay.
and I guess my only thing is in your absence, who do I ask for -- to get questions answered or --
>> on the --
>> on the reports or --
>> rodney rodes and that is in the organizational chart you should have received in your backup.
i am also available to come back whenever needed and I do have this tendency to be on the phone and use e-mails.
>> I found you very accessible, even the time you had been away and considering the consulting contracts we have entered into recently, your -- you're a bargain.
bargain, considering the level of coordination and facilitating necessary for this central business district redesign, in my opinion.
>> are there any kind of issues that have arisen about the master plan that would keep it from moving and -- on a timely basis?
>> no.
we have engaged in some very detailed and extensive negotiations with braudoff and associates, phase one, to a large degree is tied down.
we are having another all day session -- actually, a day and a half session, on the 27th and 28th of this month.
it is going dob more expensive than we thought and you are going to have some sticker shock.
there are going to be reasons for the sticker shock and there will be reasons why it is more expensive.
you will see those.
we are trying to ensure that the scope is -- gets the job done and that internal staff are utilized to the greatest extent possible, but it is a very complicated and broad reaching master plan setting forth a template to the year 2035, in an extraordinarily constrained downtown region, with very good people, within the county, who have very different opinions on what the right thing to do is.
>> barbara we did a special employment agreement to cover the current situation.
do you have in mind another one of those for the --
>> that agreement just stays in displace, because what I was describing to you about not -- not pulling the retirement trigger is all that is covered in that.
we've floated a whole -- I mean, we went through a variety of ways to do this and the court landed on an agreement not to retire and not to -- without giving the county notice and then just maintaining christian in his status as an employee, and moving him out of the slot he was in and moving him into half time clot and just being an employee and basically you said to him, his employment was until may 30th, and at that point in time you would determine whether or not you wanted to extend it beyond that time, and if you want to continue in the same manner as we -- as you have done it in the past year, then what you would do is say you authorize him to take a leave of absence from June 1 to September 30th and that you expected him to be back for half time active employment from September 30th until -- and I am assuming the date again is going to be may 30th, but whatever date that you would choose.
i mean, if you did not want it to go that long and wanted it to go until December and make it the equivalent of half a year or something, that is all within your option there.
>> what I have in mind is the notice from the retirement system indicated different numbers for the life only retirement than are in the special employment agreement that we've executed already.
would we want to update that?
according to to our backup, the sixth, fifth --
>> actually, those are only in the recitals and those were accurate at the time and I don't think it is necessary to -- to update it, but if you choose to and want to, I will be more than glad to.
>> I think we ought to, for those who want to know how we arrived at the 72,000.
that is important.
>> okay.
>> if we do that, any other dates that would be good to update.
i move that we basically execute another agreement the same nature as the one in displace right now, that we change the numbers to indicate the total would be $72,280, and that we have basically the same commitments and that the similar agreement
>> that the county judge be authorized to sign on behalf of Commissioner's court, unless the whole court wants to sign it?
does the whole court want to sign it?
i signed the last one.
>> you can sign it.
>> it was extra work, but it comes with the job.
>> [laughter]
>> is there a second?
>> second.
>> discussion?
all those in favor?
>> show of checkers Eckhardt, Gomez voting in favor and Commissioner Davis abstaining.
congratulations to you, mr.
smith.
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Last Modified:
Tuesday, April 14, 2009 2:20 PM