No Hiring Freeze for Arnold City Hall

The City of Arnold will not have a hiring freeze for the 2012 fiscal year. 

Ward 2 Councilman Jim Edwards withdrew his proposal to limit hiring, and Ward 3 Councilman Phil Amato withdrew his support for the proposal, at the city council’s special meeting at City Hall, at 2101 Jeffco Blvd., on Thursday.

The proposed hiring freeze would require City Administrator Matt Unrein and Arnold Police Chief Robert Shockey to explain the need for additional employees to the eight-person City Council. In tie votes, Mayor Ron Counts would cast the ninth and deciding vote.

During the special session, Treasurer Dan Kroupa said he understood Edward’s proposal was meant to control salary and benefit costs during Arnold's 2012 fiscal year. 

“I believe that this is a legitimate concern and an important responsibility for staff and elected officials to consider and review,” Kroupa said. 

To find ways to lower spending and refrain from invoking a citywide hiring freeze, Kroupa said he met with Counts, Shockey, Unrein and City Finance Director Deborah Lewis during a separate, and scheduled, finance committee meeting that afternoon.

During the finance committee meeting, which occurred at City Hall, Shockey said he would no longer attempt to fill two part-time positions. The cuts would save the city about $73,000, Shockey said.

City staffers would also forego a 1 percent cost of living increase to their salaries to limit an $800,000 budget increase, Unrein said during the finance committee meeting.

Despite the budget cuts, Arnold will need to withdraw about $600,000 from the city’s cash reserves, Kroupa said.

The city’s reserves will remain well funed at about $6.4 million after the withdrawal, Kroupa said.

The staffing changes should no longer require the hiring freeze proposal, Kroupa said. Rescinding the proposal would prevent any legal or contractual problems caused by the proposal.

Since the hiring freeze proposal was rescinded, no council vote was needed.