Winona Employees Get Christmas Bonuses
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jennifer [email protected]
Town Council President Terry Howie and councilmen Randy Swanson and Jim Lancaster voted in favor of the resolution. Councilwomen Joy Lohse and Sue Gooding were absent during the meeting.[[In-content Ad]]The resolution is to allow a one-time $275 Christmas bonus for town employees.
Winona Lake resident Jerry Nelson expressed his concerns with employees receiving the Christmas bonuses.
"With Christmas bonuses it has almost become a privilege that town employees are entitled to each year," Nelson said.
Nelson said each year the council approves town employees receiving bonuses. He said he thinks if the council wants to use taxpayers' money to pay for bonuses, there ought to be standards.
"Any raises I got when I was working for a living were based on performance and something I did out of the ordinary," Nelson said. "To me, this economy doesn't justify a lot of bonuses, and if we are not paying employees sufficiently to make a living, I think the council needs to review salaries."
Lancaster said he thinks town employees deserve a bonus.
"I look at this past weekend's Kringle Fest and the extra time, effort and energy that was put into the event by town employees," Lancaster said. "As an incentive for going above and beyond, I think this activity alone crystallizes the fact that we have employees dedicated to the goals of the town and go well beyond the scope of their job description and deserve a bonus."
Lancaster said the council takes careful consideration in great detail determining if the town can afford to provide town employees with bonuses.
Howie said he worked for the Winona Lake Police Department for 25 years and put many hours in that he was never compensated for. He said he knows there are hours officers never see compensation for when working over time.
"Bonuses have been put in the budget and are not something we as a council are getting," Howie said.
Clerk-Treasurer Retha Hicks said, financially, Winona Lake has the sixth-lowest tax rate in Kosciusko County.
"We have a budget of $890,000, but currently have $156,000 that hasn't been spent," Hicks said. "We normally have $80,000 or $90,000 left in our budget at the end of the year, which we transferred to the rainy day fund and paid for capital expenditures and we usually pay cash for any purchases."
The motor vehicle highway budget was $679,000 and the town has a balance remaining of $324,000 in that budget because street projects have not began.
"I feel we are cost efficient and watch our expenses, and our employees do a good job, and I believe they need to be rewarded for that," Hicks said.
Public Works Director Pete O'Connell said the town should be recognized for having funds in its budget to pay town employees a bonus.
In other business, Howie said he is meeting with the Kosciusko County Redevelopment Commission Dec. 9 to discuss a countywide economic plan.
Howie also informed the council that the town was denied funding by Indiana Department of Transportation for Winona Lake's Heritage Trail.
The funding would have allowed Miller Field and Lakeland Christian Academy to have trails that connect. The funding was denied due to not having the current trail linked to Miller Field.
Upcoming events in the town include a holiday festival with gingerbread decorating Dec. 5 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; a Jingle Bell 5K run Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. in Winona Lake Park; and Symphony of the Lakes will perform at Warsaw Community High School Performing Arts Center Dec. 5 and 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Town Council President Terry Howie and councilmen Randy Swanson and Jim Lancaster voted in favor of the resolution. Councilwomen Joy Lohse and Sue Gooding were absent during the meeting.[[In-content Ad]]The resolution is to allow a one-time $275 Christmas bonus for town employees.
Winona Lake resident Jerry Nelson expressed his concerns with employees receiving the Christmas bonuses.
"With Christmas bonuses it has almost become a privilege that town employees are entitled to each year," Nelson said.
Nelson said each year the council approves town employees receiving bonuses. He said he thinks if the council wants to use taxpayers' money to pay for bonuses, there ought to be standards.
"Any raises I got when I was working for a living were based on performance and something I did out of the ordinary," Nelson said. "To me, this economy doesn't justify a lot of bonuses, and if we are not paying employees sufficiently to make a living, I think the council needs to review salaries."
Lancaster said he thinks town employees deserve a bonus.
"I look at this past weekend's Kringle Fest and the extra time, effort and energy that was put into the event by town employees," Lancaster said. "As an incentive for going above and beyond, I think this activity alone crystallizes the fact that we have employees dedicated to the goals of the town and go well beyond the scope of their job description and deserve a bonus."
Lancaster said the council takes careful consideration in great detail determining if the town can afford to provide town employees with bonuses.
Howie said he worked for the Winona Lake Police Department for 25 years and put many hours in that he was never compensated for. He said he knows there are hours officers never see compensation for when working over time.
"Bonuses have been put in the budget and are not something we as a council are getting," Howie said.
Clerk-Treasurer Retha Hicks said, financially, Winona Lake has the sixth-lowest tax rate in Kosciusko County.
"We have a budget of $890,000, but currently have $156,000 that hasn't been spent," Hicks said. "We normally have $80,000 or $90,000 left in our budget at the end of the year, which we transferred to the rainy day fund and paid for capital expenditures and we usually pay cash for any purchases."
The motor vehicle highway budget was $679,000 and the town has a balance remaining of $324,000 in that budget because street projects have not began.
"I feel we are cost efficient and watch our expenses, and our employees do a good job, and I believe they need to be rewarded for that," Hicks said.
Public Works Director Pete O'Connell said the town should be recognized for having funds in its budget to pay town employees a bonus.
In other business, Howie said he is meeting with the Kosciusko County Redevelopment Commission Dec. 9 to discuss a countywide economic plan.
Howie also informed the council that the town was denied funding by Indiana Department of Transportation for Winona Lake's Heritage Trail.
The funding would have allowed Miller Field and Lakeland Christian Academy to have trails that connect. The funding was denied due to not having the current trail linked to Miller Field.
Upcoming events in the town include a holiday festival with gingerbread decorating Dec. 5 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; a Jingle Bell 5K run Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. in Winona Lake Park; and Symphony of the Lakes will perform at Warsaw Community High School Performing Arts Center Dec. 5 and 6 at 7:30 p.m.
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