After taking blame from Mayor Jim Suttle for a budget shortfall, Omaha City Council members responded Thursday by claiming progress in labor negotiations since dropping Suttle from the city's negotiating team.
A press release from the council's office said the Suttle administration's attempt to lay blame was a "cynical and blatantly political tactic."
In announcing a year-end shortfall of $740,307 for the 2011 budget Wednesday, the Suttle administration said the City Council's unwillingness to resolve the fire union contract cost the city an extra $5.1 million.
That's money, Suttle said, that could have created jobs, resurfaced streets or funded new police officers.
In August, the council voted to take over labor negotiations from the mayor.
The council statement said council members recognized that the city would face "short-term adverse financial consequences" with the move but that the contracts proposed by Suttle could have "potentially devastating long-term costs."
The release said council members are pleased with the progress in labor negotiations "with all our collective bargaining units" and that Omahans will be pleased with the end results.
"We continue to believe that we will succeed in negotiating collective bargaining agreements that are fair to city employees and Omaha's taxpayers," the statement said.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1128, jeff.robb@owh.com
twitter.com/jeffreyrobb
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
