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Warsaw Mayor Ernie Wiggins expressed the need for the city to have a human resource administrator at the city council budget workshop Wednesday.
The council listened to 14 departments and their requests for their 2001 budgets at 10- and 20-minute intervals. The purpose of the budget workshop was for the council to hear what the department heads want for 2001 funding. These requests are not necessarily what the departments will get.
Wiggins said there will be more hearings to decide what each department's budget will be, and he has asked the council members to visit the different departments to see what they need.
Wiggins and Warsaw clerk-treasurer Elaine Call added an entirely new department, human resources, to the already long list to be heard, requesting the estimated amount of $32,605.
Wiggins said the city needs a human resource administrator.
"I'm real nervous about not having someone to take care of personnel from a legal standpoint," said Wiggins. "It will keep the city more and more protected."
The human resource administrator would handle the city's hiring needs and paperwork. City planner Jeff Noffsinger said a human resource administrator would also be beneficial to the department heads because the administrator would handle the paperwork and leave department heads free to handle their other duties.
The council expressed concern over the proposed $30,000 salary that would be paid to a human resource administrator. The administrator is a new position added to the salary ordinance for the 2001 budget. Council members said they thought this amount wouldn't be high enough for an experienced administrator.
Once the salary ordinance is passed, Wiggins said, the administrator's salary can't be raised or lowered. However, if the job description changes, the salary may change, he said.
"I'd like to see this (salary ordinance) approved on first reading," Wiggins said.
The council decided to post an estimated $34,000 as the salary for a human resource administrator, but it is not yet certain if the position will be approved.
The council also discussed the proposed 12.6 percent raise and another $5,000 for a part-time assistant proposed for Parks Department Activities Director Andy McCleary.
Wiggins recommended McCleary for a higher raise than the other city employees' proposed 3 percent raise. Council member Trish Brown said she is not convinced that McCleary needs such a high raise and a part-time assistant.
Council member Jeff Grose wanted to approve Wiggins' recommendation of 12.6 percent but cut the part-time assistant.
"I would be comfortable with a 10 percent increase," Brown said.
The council voted to approve on a 12.6 percent raise for McCleary and to cut the part-time assistant.
"My concern is that we have to have passed the regular salary ordinance by the 19th," said Wiggins.
The salary ordinance was approved on first reading Wednesday evening. The ordinance still has one more reading to go through.
The 2001 budgets must be approved by Sept. 9.
Proposed 2001 budget:
The proposed departmental budget requests are as follows:
• Mayor's office $93,183
• Clerk's office $206,054
• City Council $832,630
• Fire Department $1,702,102
• Park Department $1,228,725
• Pension $322,368
nPlanning/Building Dept $340,939
• Redevelopment $5,400
• Oakwood Cemetery $335,382
• Police Department $2,854,355
• Airport $514,977
• Street Department $1,948,484
• Motor Vehicle Highway $300,000
• Local Road/Street $175,000
• Warsaw Housing Auth. $17,500
• WCDC $12,000
• Animal Welfare League $12,000
• KABS $13,500
• KDI $1,500
