No one likes to be forgotten. Cindy Benz is no different. The president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union for Rio Rancho does not want her fellow union members to be forgotten.

She said the union, which has more than 250 members, fought hard to get a pay raise implemented and she doesn’t want to lose it.

The union, along with outgoing City Manager Jim Payne, lobbied the governing body in May to approve a pay restructuring plan that brings city employees in line with other cities in the state. By July of 2010, city employees should be at the average pay level for comparable cities like Albuquerque, Farmington and Las Cruces.

The pay structure provides scheduled incremental in-creases over a three-year period, which started in July and continues in July 2009 and July 2010.

But a memorandum of understanding regarding the contract states that the city can call the union to the negotiation table in March if it looks like that funds are not there to implement the study.

This troubles Benz, who said the union has waited too long to receive their just pay.

“When preparing a future budget we hope we will always be a high priority and not considered last when balancing the city’s budget,” Benz wrote in an e-mail to the city council and Mayor Tom Swisstack.

She said the employees are tired of being ignored.

“We are tried of being in last place,” Benz said. “We want to make sure the money is available and that we are not last on the priority list. We want to remind them that we want the pay raises implemented.”

Deputy Mayor Mike Williams says the workers have nothing to worry about.

“The deal we made is the deal we will stick with,” Williams said. “The city is doing fine. We aren’t in that dire of financial need. The city will not go back on its word.”

Benz said she is troubled by the city’s projected tight revenues and the fact that ten non-union city employees received more than $42,000 in annual “Goal Achievement Bonuses” in August.

“We would like to remind you according to Mr. Richard Kristof (city’s finance director), that projected revenues have fallen short and because of this the 2009 FY budget was executed with capital projects being cut, a moratorium on hiring for vacant positions has been initiated and in order to bring city employees up to their marketable value, it must be done in three yearly phases,” Benz wrote in her e-mail to the city council and Swisstack. “The month of August expended $42,108.74 in “goal achievement bonuses” for the directors. Departments have had to cut corners to meet the financial restraints, which of course have added additional burdens onto the remaining staff in duties, time and lack of resources to accomplish their functions.”

She said that she is not mad at the bonuses. She understands that the money is part of the directors’ contracts, but she does not want the city employees to have to do without a raise next year.

“Don’t leave us in the dust when its time for the second implementations,” Benz said. “I’m not angry. I just don’t want us to be forgotten.”

The bonuses range from $3,500 to $5,000 and were paid to staffers who work for the city on contracts, which provide for bonuses of between 5 percent and 15 percent of their salary if the employee earns a “superior” or “exceeds expectations” rating in their annual evaluation.

AFSCME recognized in 2005 through an internal study that Rio Rancho’s employees were being paid 21 percent below market level. 2K Compliance and Training, of Las Cruces, conducted an independent study that further enforced AFCSME’s premise.

The results showed that the average pay for city employees was 31 percent less than other cities in the state.

As the city has boomed in population, the workload for the city’s staff has dramatically increased. With that increased workload, Benz said it is time to implement the study and begin pay adjustments.

The pay adjustments are expected to cost the city $2.6 million over the next three years.

Regarding the $150,000 salary the council approved for incoming City Manager James Jimenez, the union supports it.

“Mr. James Jimenez is in our consideration, the cream of the leader crop when it comes to management,” Benz wrote in her e-mail. “We have no doubt that you have chosen the very best to lead us as city manager. It also should go without saying that this gentleman is worth his weight in gold and is well deserving of the $150,000 salary that is being proposed tonight.”

Jimenez’s salary is $29,000 higher than Payne’s, and higher than salaries of Jimenez’s counterparts in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Cruces.

Bonus round:

The city of Rio Rancho paid $43,000 in performance bonuses to 10 non-union employees in August based on their annual evaluations.

Lisa Vornholt, public works director, $5,000

Jim Babin, city attorney, $5,000

Bob Boone, police chief, $4,500

James Tobin, fire chief, $4,500

Rob Anderson, development services director, $4,500

Dick Kristof, finance director, $4,500

Peter Wells, communications officer, $ 4,000

George Bootes, senior executive assistant to city manager, $4,000

Elizabeth Hill, human resources director, $3,500

Lisa Schimmel, IT director, $3,500

Source: Memo from City Manager Jim Payne to Human Resources Manager Elizabeth Hill