Brecksville Council Clarifies 27th Paycheck and Raises
The Brecksville City Council untangles payroll ordinance changes, explaining new salary ranges, parity between union and non‑union employees, and the rare 27th paycheck. Council also approves police union agreements, a community prevention grant, professional bills, and sets a public hearing on a 2027 community development grant. 31mins
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Original Meeting
In This Video
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President Caruso and a speaker briefly discussed recommended changes to the city’s payroll ordinances, with the speaker clarifying that the adjustments were proposed by the administration as part of broader compensation agreements.
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A speaker and President Caruso explained that payroll ordinance changes updated maximum pay amounts after a 3.5% increase to align non‑bargaining employees’ rates with those negotiated for bargaining employees while keeping them within approved ranges.
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A speaker and President Caruso clarified that the ordinance changes adjusted salary ranges under council’s authority so the mayor could set individual pay accordingly, including updates tied to a future pay change and extending a 27th pay in 2026 to non‑union employees.
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President Caruso and a speaker clarified that the ordinance changes applied to all full‑time non‑union employees, with current pay ranges being adjusted to accommodate raises the mayor planned to grant while future negotiated changes for a service group would come to council later in the year.
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President Caruso and a speaker explained that the ordinance changes adjusted salary ranges so raises for non‑union employees would not exceed administrative ceilings, while noting that future pay decisions for these employees would be made administratively and council’s role would focus on union contracts.
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President Caruso and a speaker explained that adjusting salary ranges would allow the mayor to grant a 3.35% raise to non‑union employees in 2027 to keep them in parity with union staff, with range changes initiated by the finance director and separate contract arrangements covering the service, fire, and police departments.
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President Caruso and a speaker discussed that patrol officers, sergeants, and fire personnel were treated as salaried employees under their contracts, while noting their pay structure was a hybrid because overtime was compensated hourly.
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President Caruso and a speaker explained that a 27th pay was treated by management as a bonus but by employees as pay for hours worked, clarified that the related 3.85% increase was a one‑time payment not rolled into the following year’s salary calculation, and noted that employees’ 2027 pay would be lower than their 2026 W‑2 because those extra hours would not recur.
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A speaker questioned contract language on calculating hourly pay from annual salary, sought clarity on which employees were hourly versus salaried, and asked why the city continued using 26 or 27 pay periods instead of a fixed 1st‑and‑15th schedule.
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A speaker and President Caruso noted that any change to the 27th pay arrangement would require discussion with administration and collective bargaining, since the current contract addressed it and the city could not remove it unilaterally.
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A speaker explained that collective bargaining agreements for fire and police had agreed resolutions under the mayor’s authority and clarified that concerns about the 27th‑pay range for non‑union employees would be addressed during budget talks later in the year, while current payroll ordinance updates to the 26‑pay range were needed to allow the mayor to grant raises to both union and non‑union staff.
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A speaker and President Caruso explained that while union pay changes were constrained by collective bargaining, most non‑union employees would likely need salary range increases due to tenure, noting that pay ranges had been adjusted periodically out of necessity and that similar payroll ordinances had been adopted nearly every year.
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A speaker and President Caruso discussed how additional pay and the 27th paycheck would be handled in the budget through assumed cost-of-living increases and appropriations amendments before the speaker moved to recommend council approval of the payroll ordinance amendment.
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President Caruso summarized finalized police and fire labor agreements, explained that the administration was extending the negotiated pay increases to full‑time non‑union employees through a payroll ordinance, highlighted new contract language clarifying the recurring 27th pay issue, and urged council to approve the related resolution while thanking city staff for their patience.
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A speaker and Jim clarified that certain salary‑exempt employees were legally hourly and therefore should be compensated for all hours worked, including the 27th pay.
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Jim explained that the recurring 27th pay period arose from the calendar cycle, clarified that employees still worked 2,080 hours annually, and noted how the extra paycheck affected W‑2 totals and effectively increased first‑year wages beyond the negotiated 3.5% raise.
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A speaker explained that the mayor, as the city’s collective bargaining employer, directed inclusion of the 27th pay language in the contract and clarified that this extra paycheck was a non‑cumulative bonus‑type anomaly that only recurred about every eleven years due to the calendar.
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President Caruso and a speaker discussed whether funding for proposed raises was already covered in the budget or would require adjustments to specific line items, with city staff noting they would review each budget line if administration moved forward with raises.
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Council Member Bender moved for and received committee approval to recommend council adoption of two collective bargaining agreements with the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, a $10,000 grant to the local community awareness and prevention association, and payment of monthly professional bills totaling $56,139.83.
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A speaker read a resolution authorizing the mayor to provide a grant to the Brecksville Broadview Heights Community Awareness and Prevention Association for prevention and intervention services as an emergency measure, and President Caruso recorded its unanimous passage with seven votes in favor.
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Council suspended the rules to quickly consider Payroll Ordinance 5873 amending employee compensation under Ordinance 5839 and then approved it unanimously with five votes in favor and no opposition.
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Council unanimously approved Ordinance 5874 authorizing the mayor to enter into a collective bargaining agreement with the Ohio Patrolman's Benevolent Association representing Brecksville Police Department patrol officers after suspending the rules for its consideration.
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A speaker read Ordinance 5875 authorizing the mayor to enter into a collective bargaining agreement with the Ohio Patrolman's Benevolent Association representing Brecksville Police Department sergeants and called for a motion to suspend the rules for its consideration.
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Council Member Bender reported on the finance committee’s earlier meeting, read a list of monthly professional bills totaling $56,139.83, and moved that council approve their payment.
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President Caruso and a speaker announced a promptly scheduled public hearing before the Planning Commission on July 9 at 6:45 PM for the 2027 Community Development Supplemental Grant, explaining the compressed notice timeline and inviting the public to share community development needs.
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President Caruso reported on the ribbon-cutting at the Sherwin-Williams Global Research Center, highlighting remarks from state and federal officials, noting that the facility already housed about 900 employees with room for expansion after moves from two prior locations, and publicly thanked two police officers following the completion of contract negotiations.
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