Remarks by Gil Hernandez
106 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 3 of 5
- Play at 4:09:15
“Okay, so we included that to be able to pay for that within that. So, I mean, all that groundwork should have been set up already. Yes, sir. You should have at least a blueprint for how to do it. The SOP should be the 12 1⁄2 ordinance on what you need to do to hire, and that specifically says who's on your hiring committee and how you do that. Really, this should be a little bit easier process than what I had to go through four years ago, because it took me a while, and then I had to figure out how to pay the person. I was just fortunate enough that the person we ended up hiring, his wife was…”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:26:56
“Okay, so my biggest issue with the budget, and I voted against the budget, was the cost of living adjustment, the COLA versus the merit pay. I will change my vote on the budget if we change that as an amendment, and with that, I would change on the tax rate. but it has to be on the merit pay. I'm going to hold the line there.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:27:39
“Okay, but we're not talking about the market adjustment.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:29:26
“Well, I'm good with that. I just don't want to get away from...”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:29:44
“Put it in writing what you want to have done for that, for the budget. We'll have to go back and revisit the budget before voting on this tax rate.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:29:58
“What would you have it in? I want to vote.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:30:15
“Whatever that is, I wanted something that we vote on to give to you.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:47:14
“Thank you. You know, for our insurance, I've got to say it's really pretty good. I mean, considering, I mean, even when I was with Coca-Cola, it was better than what I had at Coca-Cola. It's better than what my wife gets at her job. I mean, it's really, really good. Don't, I mean, it's, you know, even the high deductible plan, you're given $2,000, you know, in the health care savings account. There's not, you know, a lot of other companies require you to put money into it from your bank. So, I mean, what I want to say is that we have a good plan here. It's a great plan. Yeah. Okay. Now, I…”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:49:05
“Okay, so what's your range of increase? I mean, if you have 12% as your average, what is it, 6% to 20%? What is it?”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:49:25
“So you're having some significant increases on the 100 range and then the 200 is an average of 8%?”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:50:02
“Okay, so we're given some significant increases to comply with the market.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:50:09
“And what we think is the living wage, right? So I'm not sure what the, what the pushback is on this COLA versus merit incentive. I mean, we're not talking the 300 range, right? That are making 80,000 plus, right? Is that the cutoff or is it?”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 4:50:48
“But I mean, what we were concerned about was your low end pay folks that were the 100 and 200s. But they're getting, you know, an average of 12 and 8 percent increases or just below 8 percent. So I don't understand the pushback on the on the merit pay versus COLA. Well, so I'll I'm not going to go. I'm not going to. You know, I get your argument point. And I know what you guys want. I don't think that's appropriate. I'm going to go ahead and make the motion. Are we on item four or are we on item seven? Item four. Okay. So I'll make a motion to amend re-designated 3% COLA to the fiscal year 27…”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 5:09:15
“I am willing to change my vote if we go back to the merit pay.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 5:09:20
“If we go back to merit pay on item number four, on the motion that I did for that, I will change my vote on the tax rate.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 5:10:40
“And you also have the market adjustment of 12% on average for 100 employees. Right, we do that every year. 8% on average for 200 employees. That's correct. So the COLA or the merit pay is on top of that.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 5:11:07
“And like I said, you're better than the private sector right now.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 5:11:20
“Well, it's better than what I can get on the private sector. It's better than Obamacare.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 5:11:31
“Okay. So with that, I make a motion to reconsider item number four.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 5:25:36
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 5:26:02
“Okay. Okay. So have I changed in any way?”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 5:26:10
“Have I changed my support for merit pay in any way? No. Okay. So to say that it is something that I just, you know, this has been, Peter, I'll ask the same question. Yeah. In the eight years or seven and a half years that we've been working together, have I ever had any other position than merit pay. No, you've been very supportive of that. Very consistent. It's not new. This is nothing new. The position I'm holding is something I've held since the very beginning. So I don't want to hear the nonsense of this, you know, me holding somebody hostage or something or other if it is something I've…”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 5:29:28
“Well, no, I was going to read the motion.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 5:30:59
“Okay, I would like to read my amendment again. This is for item number four, a motion to amend to redesignate 3% COLA in the fiscal year 27 budget to 1%, effective October 1st, 2026, or the closest pay period to October 1st, 2026, and eligible for 2% merit-based pay program utilizing performance evaluation, effective 1-2027, or closest pay period to January 1, 2027. I need a second. Second. Do you second? I appreciate it. We have a second. Council Member Gump will second. Second. She's second.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 5:32:03
“Right, the amendment to item number four to address the merit pay.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026