Payless paydays loom ahead for city employees

By Charles Sercombe

Attention Hamtramck city employees: Don’t make any major purchases for the next few months.

Acting City Manager Kyle Tertzag issued a notice last week to city employees warning them that this week’s payroll will likely be met, but it’s “highly unlikely” the city will make the April 10 payroll.

Tertzag also sent out a notice to city contractors and vendors saying they will have to wait a little longer to get paid.

Normally, bills are paid within 15 to 30 days, but now Tertzag said contractors will have to wait 30 to 45 days.

The city’s cash woes are nothing new. City officials have been scrambling to find ways to avoid a projected $3.5 million budget deficit by this June. They have asked the state to issue a $3 million emergency loan, but the state has repeatedly turned them down.

The state wants the city to first get city employee contract concessions, specifically from the Fire Department.

Tertzag said he could not get deep enough contract concessions from the firefighters’ union, and has informed state officials of the impasse.

Tertzag said he expects an emergency manager to be appointed to the city within weeks. If that’s the case, there is a good bet that the Fire Department will undergo a drastic change.

Tertzag could not discuss the details of that change.

 

2 Responses to Payless paydays loom ahead for city employees

  1. Harry

    April 4, 2013 at 10:49 am

    People need to focus on the truth. Mismanagement is the problem. Employees only do what management allows them to do. The same management that was there the last time. The police took a major cut about a year ago. Why is this not published in the paper. Are your department heads taking the same cuts? U need to look. Cuts start at the top.

  2. Only the facts

    April 4, 2013 at 12:47 pm

    It’s always easy to blame and punish the public safety employees. They are bound by law to come to work regardless of if they get paid or not. The city leaders agreed to the contracts that they say are bankrupting the city. Why are they not being held accountable? Did they not know what they could afford to pay? I would be willing to bet that if their recklessness were to be reflected on their personal credit score they would be more careful with the contracts they enter into. There is no punishment if they spend the cities money to the point where they are broke. It is my opinion that they intentionally are pushing the city towards bankruptcy so they don’t have to fulfill their financial obligations. It seems to be a reflection of the mind set of the country in general….Spend till your credit runs out,then file for bankruptcy…..Does nobody have any pride anymore??? Not too long ago a person would have been ashamed to be declared bankrupt. Now it seems to be a “Badge of Honor”! As long as you can “Get over” on the system,all is good. What a shame!!

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