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With 91 city cell phones, employee options on call
(by Sue Reid - February 23, 2011)
With 91 city cell phones, employee options on call
By SUE REID
Solon City Council's finance committee discussed the possibility last week of giving a stipend to employees who use their personal cellular telephones on city time.
Solon's contract with Verizon Wireless expires at the end of the year, and R.C. Rizzo, purchasing coordinator for the city, sought guidance from the committee on what options to explore. As part of the discussion, he provided copies of policies on cell-phone use in other communities.
Finance Director William Weber said his department has received several inquiries from department heads about the cell phones. Many employees carry two phones, he said, one for personal use and one for city business.
Mr. Rizzo said 91 city employees currently have cell phones. Department heads decide who gets the cells phones, subject to the mayor's review. Solon spent a little under $30,000 last year for the cell phones.
With the current plan, there is a pool of minutes, "and everyone from the city pulls from that same pool," Mr. Rizzo said. The city had an "excellent deal" under its Alltel contract, he said. With Alltel and Verizon merging, "that won't be an option anymore," he said.
"Right now we are saving a lot of money compared to what it will be." He said the city pays, on average, a little over $30 per month per user. A basic plan, regardless of what route the city goes moving forward, would be somewhere between $40 and $45 per user per month, Mr. Rizzo said. "Carriers have indicated that costs will most likely go up 25 to 35 percent with a new contract."
Councilman William I. Russo said some employees may not get reception, depending on where they live, with the current plan. It makes sense to give employees the ability to have their own phones with carriers that give better reception, he said.
Councilman William D. Mooney said, when he worked for the city as public works director, he turned down the city phone, because it was a hassle to have to carry two of them. He said he doesn't think the city can require someone get a stipend. He said he would be in favor of giving them the choice of either the stipend for their own phones or a city-supplied phone.
Mr. Rizzo said the city would still provide some cell phones, an example being for inside the safety forces vehicles. "I would definitely assume we would still, if both chiefs want, provide those phones," he said of the police and fire chiefs.
Mr. Rizzo said he would like at least two to three months lead time to negotiate with the cell-phone vendors to get the best price for the city.
The committee instructed Mr. Rizzo to send a letter to department heads to get information on what issues they may have regarding cell phones.
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