City Approves Salary Ordinances For Midyear Adjustments
City Approves Salary Ordinances For Midyear Adjustments
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
City Approves Salary Ordinances For Midyear AdjustmentsTo be able to be more competitive with employee pay, the Warsaw Common Council approved three salary ordinances Monday on first and second readings.
“What I had asked the wage committee - which is composed of (Council members) Diane (Quance), Jeff (Grose) and Josh (Finch) - is to work with human resources and the external salary study that was done and look at the wages 2020-21 external wages. And compare those to what our employees were making and job classifications. We all understand the importance of trying to keep our salary levels at competitive levels and it’s been a real challenge the last few years,” Mayor Joe Thallemer said.
Utilizing the salary study gives the city a way to understand what’s going on in the community and surrounding communities, he said.
Quance said, “First of all, we should probably make it clear that these are wage corrections, so we’re not looking at a general across-the-board raise for everyone, but rather looking at each individual position and getting that to market-rate value.”
She said they spent a lot of time looking at each position, revenue, expected revenue and growth. “What we’re proposing tonight would be sustainable at the level that we’re proposing it, so I think that’s another important component to look at.”
Quance said the city values the contributions of every city employee “so the fact that their wages are not being corrected tonight has absolutely nothing to do with quality of job they’re doing or the service that they’re giving to the city of Warsaw. It is merely a reflection of the marketplace rate at this current time.”
She said it’s a mid-year salary correction. For the most part, Quance said the city wasn’t terribly off because it’s been reviewing and adjusting salaries every year. The pandemic the last couple years was a factor.
After retiring Human Resource Director Jennifer Whitaker introduced her replacement, Denny Harlan, as of May 13, Whitaker said they reviewed all the departments and job positions. For some of the positions in the general salary ordinance - which vary from airport manager to park department laborer - the amendment may be 20 cents more an hour to a couple dollars.
“Your CDLs, we did increase having that specialized license anywhere from $2 up to $3 actually for those Class A CDLs,” Whitaker said. “Nothing else did change in the salary ordinance, other than the maximum allowed in the salary ordinance for the positions in which you see before you.”
Some salaries were not adjusted.
The payroll period for the increases begins June 26.
The general salary ordinance was approved unanimously by the Council on first and second reading.
On the police salary ordinance, Whitaker said it was for civilian employees, from the chief’s assistant on down, for 30 to 40 cents additional per hour. The Council unanimously approved the ordinance on first and second reading.
The third ordinance was for the fire department. Whitaker said it was similar to the police ordinance. In looking at the fire base salary, she said they found that was off by about $61 per pay period, so that was corrected in the ordinance. They also were a little off on the rank. The Council also unanimously approved the fire salary ordinance.
In other business, the Council:
• Approved on second reading an ordinance authorizing the city to issue economic development revenue bonds in connection to Sullivan Wickley’s Marketplace of Warsaw project. At its last meeting, the Council approved the ordinance, which the Economic Development Commission and Redevelopment Commission also have approved.
“I do just want to remind everyone this project has been well-publicized and presented. It’s been to four Redevelopment Commission meetings, including one public hearing. It’s been to the Economic Development Commission, which also was a public hearing, and it’s now at its second Council meeting before tonight’s final action,” Thallemer said.
The actual expected principle amount of the bonds is $1,711,000, with an actual interest rate expected to be 5.5% with an expected term of 20 years.
“The bonds are to be payable solely from the tax increment from Marketplace TIF Allocation Area,” explained Randy Rompola from Barnes & Thornburg.
Local resident Roxanne Coffelt said what the city was doing was basically providing a 20-year tax abatement, but now that she understood what the city was doing a little better than she had, she didn’t have as much of a problem with it as before.
• Approved a 10-year tax abatement for the planned affordable family housing development at 2525 Durbin St., the former Arnolt property. The housing development will have 60 units and be developed by Real America.
• Approved tax abatement compliance review forms for AV Technologies, BTC Investments, WishBone Medical, Flexaust and Tecomet.
• Approved on second reading an ordinance annexing 1813 Hepler Drive into the city. A public hearing and first reading were held April 18.
• Approved on second reading an ordinance approving an additional appropriation and transfer of $250,000 from Economic Development Income Tax fund to the Economic Development Revolving Loan fund.
A public hearing also was held on the matter but there were no remonstrators.
• Remembered Deborah Wiggins, the wife of former Mayor and County Councilman Ernie Wiggins, who died Sunday at the age of 69. She also served a number of years on the Warsaw School Board.
• Heard that First Friday is this Friday downtown Warsaw.
