Council expected to meet privately on budget issues
By John H. Adams, The Layman Online, April 26, 2006
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Sensitive about the people who will lose their jobs because of current and projected revenue declines in the 2006-2008 budget years, the General Assembly Council’s executive committee has called for the budget matters to be considered by the council in “private” meetings.
Private meetings are restricted to voting members of the council and do not allow nonvoting members. Executive sessions allow nonvoting members to attend. Either meeting format excludes the media.
The council’s executive committee approved a motion today that, if also approved by the full body, would give the council 10 hours during the remainder of this week to meet privately on the budget. Without reducing employment and programs, the Presbyterian Church (USA) faces a $9.1-million shortfall during the three budget years.
Little information is being released by the council about possible changes, but they’re expected to be substantial – reaching into top-level management, John Detterick, the council’s executive, told the executive committee. At $60,000 per employee, including benefits but without a separation payment, the denomination would have to immediately lay off more than 60 employees, about 10 percent of the staff.
Detterick already had indicated that the national headquarters will have more space than it needs and that the council should consider leasing the extra space to other groups. When the executive committee was discussing whether to meet privately or hold executive sessions, Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick said one point should be emphasized: that privacy is needed because of personnel matters and not budgetary requirements.
The decision to meet privately called for a narrow interpretation of the denomination’s open meetings policy. It does allow closed door meetings for personnel issues, mainly performance reviews or termination discussions, but does not allow privacy for budget discussions. The General Assembly Council is principally a policy body and not a hiring agency.
Neither Detterick nor a staff attorney, who declined The Layman Online’s request for an interview about the reason the budget meetings are being held privately, explained why the exemption was being used for budgeting.
The council met in an open plenary session day, but much of its time during meetings Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be closed.
It will vote on Saturday for the budgets and staff allocations. The details of the budgets, however, will not be released until Monday afternoon.
At noon Saturday, Detterick said he will release to the media an outline describing the broad categories of budget reductions. Over the weekend and Monday, the staff at the Presbyterian Center will be told about their job situation. Later Monday, Detterick said he will release to the media the budget details and staff reductions. He also will answer questions during a conference call with media reporters Monday.
But the details of those cuts will not be released until 2 p.m. Monday, May 1, Detterick said, so that staff members will have an opportunity to be informed about their job situation.
The General Assembly Council isn’t starting from scratch. A group called the Staff Leadership Team, comprised mainly of the leaders of Worldwide Ministries, National Ministries, Congregational Ministries and Mission Support Services, has made its suggestions on a worksheet that the council will review.
Detterick said those suggestions will be given to council members in sealed envelopes marked “confidential.” He urged them to respect that confidentiality, noting, “We’re talking about people’s lives and careers.”
He said the private meetings will provide “ample opportunity to fully understand what’s in the proposed budget and how it relates to the mission work plan. I suspect every council member will find something to be unhappy about. If the council members find that things aren’t in the budget that should be there, we’ll show you options. But if something else goes back in, something else goes out.”