Board Denies Employee Grievance

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Lawrenceburg leaders voted Thursday to uphold a recent decision of the City Administrator and deny an employee grievance.

The grievance was filed by former employee Charlie Collier who served with the Lawrenceburg Police Department for the past thirty-two years, retiring with the rank of Captain.

In his grievance, Collier indicated he felt he had been mislead when leaders offered an early retirement incentive package in June to employees who had twenty-five or more years of service to the city.

Under the incentive program approved by the city council, employees were offered a $20,000 incentive to opt for early retirement. A condition of the program was that department heads had to agree that they would eliminate the position, thus resulting in long-term savings for the city.

During the hearing Thursday morning Collier told members of the Lawrenceburg Board of Mayor and Council that when he was first told about the program by his department head, Police Chief Judy Moore, he had believed he was eligible to participate. After a time, however, he said he was told that Moore had refused to eliminate his position which disqualified him from participation.

Moore explained that her department is already short on manpower and that eliminating a patrol position was not an option. She stated that she has three officers serving in the military, one recovering from an injury, and now Collier’s vacant post. “We’re not running at full force right now,” Moore explained, “and we cannot eliminate that position.” She explained that with too few bodies on the streets as it is, it has become more difficult to ensure the safety of her officers.

Moore indicated that she told Collier about the package, stating that he might take advantage of it “if he was eligible.”

Explaining to Collier that none of them had anything against him personally, members of the council voted unanimously to uphold the policy and the decision of McLain, and deny his grievance.