Redding City Council Approves Ballot Measure

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

REDDING - The Redding City Council approved their own ballot measurers for the November 2, 2010 election. The measure, if passed, will be advisory to the Council and establish policy for future Council members to follow. 

“The “three” decided to waste as much as fifty-thousand tax dollars on an initiative that doesn’t benefit the citizens of Redding and allows Councilman Bossetti and Jones to use it for their own political gain”, said UPEC Business Manager Chris Darker. Meanwhile, as many as twelve (12) fireman will be given pink slips in the next 40 days.

Their are two measures, one will ask voters if the council should enter negotiations asking workers to pay a portion of their California Public Employees’ Retirement System pensions. The requirement would be phased in over the length of the contract up for negotiation. The other measure would require a minimum five years of service and enrollment in Medicare for those eligible before the city would contribute to a retiree’s health insurance premium cost. Retirees with 25 years or more service with the city could get up to 50 percent of their premiums covered.

“There were no surprises at last nights meeting. Like many other issues on the council agenda, the people speak and then the “three” do what they were going to do anyway”, said Darker.

The public pension initiative, the retiree health insurance measure would establish the city’s opening bargaining position. The council could change its position through the bargaining process, City Attorney Rick Duvernay said. “Something the Council has done and can continue to do without wasting our tax dollars”, said Darker.

Council members Dick Dickerson and Mary Stegall, who have opposed the ballot measure since then-Mayor Rick Bosetti proposed it in October 2009, voted no on the measures.

Dickerson, who called the ballot measures “ludicrous,” wondered why the council could not agree on an opening bargaining position tonight, without spending up to $50,000 to put two measures on the ballot that voters may reject. “Nothing in the ballot measure will expedite the process,” Dickerson said. “It just doesn’t do anything.”

According to the Record Searchlight report, “the ballot measures will de-politicize the benefits issue, which unions are already using against council members this election season, said Bosetti, who will defend his seat in November.”

Noting some have commented the proposed ballot measures lack teeth, Bosetti suggested Redding become a charter city, where voters can decide employee compensation. The suggestion drew scattered applause.

Contributions by Redding Record Searchlight