Cloud said the raise wasn’t his idea.
Hartford’s city council has decided to let city Treasurer Adam Cloud keep his $20,000 raise.
After WNPR first reported that neither the mayor nor anyone on the city council could recall approving a raise for Cloud, the council decided against approving a resolution to take the raise back Monday night. With only six of nine members present, three voted in favor -- Ken Kennedy, David MacDonald, and Alex Aponte. Three others abstained -- Raul De Jesus, Cynthia Jennings, and Kyle Anderson. Anderson was one of the resolution’s sponsors.
Cloud’s raise began in early November, but was retroactive to July. It bumped him from $140,000 to just over $160,000. The failed resolution before the council suggested that the raise comported neither with the state constitution nor the city charter.
Monday's meeting followed a series of communications between Cloud, the city council, and attorneys. In emails provided by Kennedy, city Chief Operating Officer Darrell Hill wrote that he had not identified anything regarding the raise that was communicated to the council or that disclosed the pay raise.
Not long after, Hill wrote again to follow up.
Neither the mayor nor anyone on the city council could recall approving a raise for Cloud.
“For clarity, the amount [of the treasurer's raise] is in the Adopted 2016 Budget personnel line for the Treasurer's Office,” Hill wrote. “I am not aware of any specific ‘disclosure’ that went to Council.”
Nevertheless, in a letter to the council, Cloud made his case that the raise was well known and legitimately obtained. He said it was first mentioned in a March meeting with the mayor and his staff.
“It is not true that nobody knew about this!” Cloud wrote. “In the event that the Council had any questions regarding changes to our recommended budget, all they had to do was ask. Ask the budget department, ask me. The fact is that no one did ask any questions.”
Cloud also said that his raise wasn’t his idea.
“It is inferred by the language in the proposed resolution that the Treasurer somehow gave himself a raise. That is completely false,” Cloud wrote. “Only the Director of Human Resources has the authority to change the pay of an individual.”
But members of the city council have previously said that was a job that should have fallen to them.
In addition to several other requests, WNPR has asked the city's lawyers whether the raise is in keeping with the state constitution and city charter. WNPR has also asked whether, as the resolution stated, there is a pay ceiling for the city treasurer of roughly $156,000. The city hasn't yet responded.
After the vote, De Jesus told WNPR he had procedural and legal concerns with the resolution. Kennedy said he was disappointed with the outcome.
"I think there were a lot of my former colleagues who just wanted to avoid the issue for political reasons," Kennedy said.
Monday’s meeting was the last for this city council. Hartford’s new council takes office in 2016. TJ Clarke, who is an incoming councilman and the Democratic pick to lead the council, told WNPR he plans to look at the issue next month.
