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KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV/KSMO) — Kansas City’s elected leaders are set to discuss the city’s hiring freeze Wednesday, as they consider whether to extend some of the measures they passed earlier this year.
The city’s Finance and Governance Committee, a committee arm of the City Council, is scheduled Wednesday morning to amend and extend its previously-approved hiring freeze, which “directs the city manager to implement certain cost-containment measures to include a hiring freeze and suspension of other discretionary expenditures.”
Without extension, some of the provisions of the hiring freeze were set to expire at the end of this month. The proposed ordinance goes through next April.
There are several exceptions to the freeze, including lower-paid positions and contracts related to public health and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The hiring freeze and its provisions are just some of the measures the city is taking to heavily curb its budget in the wake of falling revenue because of the pandemic. The same committee had previously approved a one-week furlough for all city staff after the finance department expressed the need to cut at least $50 million from the next two years of the city’s budget.
The amended ordinance reads, in full:
ORDINANCE NO. 200914
Repealing Ordinance No. 200399 and enacting in lieu thereof the following Ordinance that directs the City Manager to implement certain cost containment measures to include a hiring freeze and suspension of other discretionary expenditures including travel;
Directs the City Manager to refrain from executing or extending any limited term contracts, professional services contracts, non-municipal contracts, and sole source contract waivers, except as authorized by Council, in separate ordinances or contracts that are related to public health and public safety expenditures that are necessitated by the City’s response to the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) exclusive to expenses reimbursable under the CARES Act; authorizes non-municipal contracts funded with Federal dollars; authorizes limited term contracts for the Offices of the Mayor and Council; and establishing an expiration date of April 30, 2021, for the directives.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:
Section 1. Repealing Committee Substitute for Ordinance No. 200399.
Section 2. The City Manager is directed to implement certain cost containment measures to include a hiring freeze and activate the Position Review Committee, and suspension of other discretionary expenditures including travel.
Section 3. The City Manager is directed to refrain from executing or extending any limited term contracts, professional services contracts, non-municipal contracts, and sole source contract waivers except as authorized by Council in separate ordinances and except as provided in sections 4, 5, 6 and 7.
Section 4. The City Manager and Manager Procurement Services are authorized to enter into all contracts (including sole source contracts) that are related to public health and public safety expenditures that are necessitated by the City’s response to the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), exclusive to expenses reimbursable under the CARES Act.
Section 5. The City Manager, Department Directors and Manager Procurement Services are authorized to enter into all non-municipal agency contracts and contract amendments that are totally funded with Federal dollars. Section 6. The hiring freeze shall not apply to positions with hourly wage rates under $20.00.
Section 7. That the Limited term contracts for the Offices of the Mayor and Council are authorized.
ORDINANCE NO. 200914
2
Section 8. The directives contained in Sections 2 and 3 shall expire April 30,
2021. The authorizations contained in 4, 5, 6 and 7 shall continue until repealed.
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