If you are a fan of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Clark Griswold then you know the scene where Clark is holding the envelope sent by his company that he thinks is holding his  “Big Bonus” check.  He starts to talk about how he is going to use the check to put in an inground pool as soon as the earth thaws out.  After a few more words he opens the envelope to find a big shock.  It’s not money, it’s an annual membership to the Jelly Club.  Clark is shocked and dismayed and in the silence Cousin Eddie bursts out “Clark, it’s the gift that keeps on giving all year.”   That is how we feel about the consent agenda in the Tuesday City Council meetings.  In our last blog All In The Family, we said if you want to know what is happening in the city just look at the consent agenda.  For us, it is the gift that keeps on giving for those who are curious.

Watching last night’s city council meeting we noticed Keating called to remove items 25 and 32 and that was seconded by Brian Livingston.  We noticed item 25 which was a Human Resources item several days ago when the agenda was posted.  It reads consider and act upon adoption of an Ordinance to approve the new Public Safety Workers Compensation policy and updated Information Security Policy.   Many are probably wondering what is so important about it, well we are going to tell you!  If you keep up with what is going on in the city the Fire Fighters have been advocating for a better WC policy for several years.  They took their fight to the state this year in Austin and with the help of local State Rep Jared Patterson they brought a bill that would give public safety workers true workers compensation coverage.  This bill passed both the house and senate with overwhelming support.   

We were a little shocked by the cattiness and mean spirit of the memo submitted by Ms. Sassy Lauren Safranek, Director of Human Resources to the city council.  She talks about the new public safety workers compensation policy that had to be changed to align with Chapter 177A of the Texas Local Government Code that was recently amended by HB 471.   Remember our council likes to tote they support our public safety workers, yet they fought and opposed HB 471 the entire time.  In this memo Sassy Safranek states the city will be FORCED to develop a different WC policy – one policy for public safety personnel and the other (the current policy) for all other employees.   

Sassy Safranek goes on to call out The Fire Association President, Matt Sapp and his public comments before the city council supporting the city’s policy back in April of 2021.  She notes he supported the changes to the policy at the time and that he was active in the process to develop the policy.  She said the goal was to develop one policy for all employees.   Well, we went back and while he did support the changes he also stated several times in the last two years that it was a step in the right direction but not the total solution.   A step in the right direction does not mean he agrees and is content with the 2021 policy, it simply means it is better than what they had before.  The city was not happy about the FAA lobbying in Austin for a more comprehensive plan and they have made that clear many times.   Does Lauren Safranek honestly think that one policy can cover all employees?   Does she honestly believe the WC policy should cover the park guys who have a much less dangerous job mowing parks, and the same policy should cover a police office or fire fighter whose job inherently has more risk and danger? 

Sassy Safranek is upset with the new policy.  She writes in addition to at least one (1) year of paid leave for an on-the-job injury, HB 471 requires at least one (1) year of light duty while recovering from a temporary disability. One (1) year of paid leave (paid by the City 100%) and one (1) year of light duty, during which the employee will receive their regular wages, provides little incentive for the employee to return to full duty promptly.  She notes the 2 significant differences between the new policy and the city’s current policy are 1) one year of paid leave and 2) one year of light duty.  She notes that up to another year of paid light duty provides little incentive for the employee to get better and return to full duty promptly. 

Ms. Safranek your note about “LITTLE INCENTIVE” is offensive and ridiculous and it is obvious you have no clue what kind of attributes a person has if they choose to go into the profession of being a police officer or a fire fighter.   Most of these men and woman have a keen sense of duty and service.   Other traits include courage, physical fitness, they like structure and routine, they work well under pressure, they are adaptable to unpredictable environments, they have a compassionate nature, and they thrive off teamwork and collaboration. Those are just a few of the natural instincts these men and woman have.  Your comment implies they have no incentive to go back to work, and they are going to milk the system.  These are not people who want to sit at home and eat bon bons like you, they don’t achieve a thrill by laying on the couch and binging all the seasons of Suits on Netflix.

Safranek mentions the city has benefited from modified duty work by injured police officers valued at over $300,000 and injured firefighters at over $1.3 million.  She says if the city assumes that 10% of the time police officers will decline modified duty and if they assume 25% of the time firefighters will decline modified duty it would cost the city over a $120,000 a year in salary paid while someone is off work.   Again, the statement is offensive and ridiculous at its core.  It’s not like the City of Frisco doesn’t have the money.  We sent numerous people within the city over the last 2 years to Cary, North Carolina, PGA golf events in Tulsa and just last week they galivanted off to Fort Collins, Colorado.  Thousands of dollars of taxpayer money used for some to travel all over but we can’t find enough to pay officers or fire fighters hurt on the job.  Really?    As a taxpayer, I will happily pay for someone’s salary who is injured on the job.  If you ask me, based on a conversation Keating had last night at the council meeting I think we can cut back on the unnecessary trips where a planning and zoning board member gets drunk and belligerent and Council Woman Tammy Meinershagen doesn’t need to fly to different cities to play piano and see art, then and post it on her Instagram like she is having a great vacation on the city’s dime.

Ms. Safranek, your bias is showing and how you feel about city employees is starting to show simply by how you wrote this memo.  Screw the peasants who risk theirs! Your venom and disdain for public safety workers are more than clear in this memo. So are the cities.  As we said at the top of the blog the item was pulled from consent and Councilman Livingston asked for it to be held for further discussion.  Maybe in that time, you might want to reconsider the “oh bless your heart” southern slam slightly written into the memo. 

Read The Full Memo Click Here

Redline of City Workers Comp Policy Click Here