Surplus Means Bonus for City Workers

City employees will get a little extra in their stockings this Christmas.

When City Council members realized the city had a budget surplus of $10 million, they decided unanimously last week to allocate $1.4 million of it toward giving the city’s employees a 4% bonus in December.

Councilman Barry Hammond, whose term ends this year, suggested the bonus. “Staff helped us achieve a surplus,” he said.

Councilman Dave Christensen quipped: “We’ll call it the ‘Barry Hammond Bonus.’ ” And City Manager Paul Brady complimented the council.

Hammond, however, failed to gain support for another way to disburse part of the surplus: Give residents a tax rebate.