July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Council may reduce benefits (05/16/06)
Portland City Council
By By RACHELLE HAUGHN-
The city’s payroll ordinances for 2007 may face changes before final approval is given.
Members of the Portland City Council suggested an alteration to the ordinances — which would require the mayor and city clerk-treasurer to pay the same rate for health insurance as the rest of the city’s employees — before approving the ordinances on first reading.
The ordinances would increase the annual salary of city officials and city department heads by 2.5 percent.
“The clerk-treasurer and mayor were given two large (pay) increases” in the last two years, said council member Bill Gibson. “I think they should all pay the same rate” for health insurance.
The way the ordinance currently is set up, the mayor and clerk-treasurer pay $1 per year for single or family coverage, while other city employees pay $10 per pay period for single coverage and $50 per pay period for family coverage.
“I would rather see those offices have more increase (in pay) and pay the same rate as city employees,” said councilman Jim Sanders.
Council members plan to discuss this change further before voting a second time on the ordinances.
The pay increase will raise the annual salary of mayor Bruce Hosier to $42,688 from $41,648. Clerk-treasurer Linda Kennedy’s salary will rise to $41,936 from $40,914.
With the increase, each city council member will make $3,295 per year instead of $3,215 per year. The city court judge’s salary will increase to $12,680 from $12,371.
With the 2.5 percent pay increase, the street and park department superintendent, fire chief, police chief, water department superintendent and wastewater treatment superintendent will all make $40,318 per year, up from $39,335.
Hosier said he felt the pay increase was fair. It wasn’t as high as last year’s 3.5 percent because the cost of health care for the city was very expensive this year, he said.
Kennedy did not have a figure for the total impact the pay increases will have on the budget.
In other business, a Portland man’s request died due to lack of motion.
Chris Butcher, 821 E. Walnut St., asked for the portion of Pierce Street located between Main and Walnut streets to be made one-way north. At the May 1 council meeting he said making the street one-way would make it safer. The street is too narrow for two vehicles to safely pass each other, he said at that meeting. Sometimes vehicles have to drive into his yard to pass each other.
Before the request died, Kay Locker, president of the Jay County Historical Society asked the council not to grant Butcher’s request. She said many people drive through the parking lot of the Jay County Historical Museum, 903 E. Main St., to access Pierce Street.
If the street were changed to one-way, she said even more people would drive through the parking lot, making it more dangerous for people entering and exiting the museum building.
Also Monday, council members:
•Voted to update the Portland Housing Authority resolution.
The old resolution was adopted in 1986, Hosier said. The new resolution updates the duties of the executive director, he said.
•Granted two re-zoning requests recommended for approval by the Portland Planning Commission.
Cindy VanSkyock asked for a lot located at 403 S. Meridian St. to be re-zoned to highway service from neighborhood business so she could open a shop in a renovated house.
Also, Maurice W. Alsip, one of the owners of the building which houses the Jay Garment Antique Mall, 500 S. Meridian St., asked for the lot to be re-zoned to highway service from industrial to allow the Dunkirk Fire Department to hold bingo tournaments in the rear of the building.
•Granted a five-year tax abatement to Coca-Cola Enterprises.
The company requested the abatement on the purchase of $6,950,000 in manufacturing equipment. The high-tech cans line is expected to create 12 additional jobs with salaries totaling $359,840.
Before the council voted, Bob Quadrozzi, executive director of Jay County Development Corporation, said the Portland Tax Abatement Advisory Committee met on Wednesday and unanimously recommended the council grant the request.
•Heard Jeff Harker, street and park department superintendent, announce that work on Meridian Street is expected to begin May 22.
Strawser Inc., a company working for the Indiana Department of Transportation, is expected to begin applying a microseal surface at Williamson Drive on the south edge of Portland. The work, which will continue north to Votaw Street, is expected to be done on May 23, 24 and 30, he said.
Harker also announced that LICA Construction Corp. of Berne began milling sections of several city streets on Monday. Paving on those streets is expected to begin Wednesday and continue until sometime next week, he said.[[In-content Ad]]
Members of the Portland City Council suggested an alteration to the ordinances — which would require the mayor and city clerk-treasurer to pay the same rate for health insurance as the rest of the city’s employees — before approving the ordinances on first reading.
The ordinances would increase the annual salary of city officials and city department heads by 2.5 percent.
“The clerk-treasurer and mayor were given two large (pay) increases” in the last two years, said council member Bill Gibson. “I think they should all pay the same rate” for health insurance.
The way the ordinance currently is set up, the mayor and clerk-treasurer pay $1 per year for single or family coverage, while other city employees pay $10 per pay period for single coverage and $50 per pay period for family coverage.
“I would rather see those offices have more increase (in pay) and pay the same rate as city employees,” said councilman Jim Sanders.
Council members plan to discuss this change further before voting a second time on the ordinances.
The pay increase will raise the annual salary of mayor Bruce Hosier to $42,688 from $41,648. Clerk-treasurer Linda Kennedy’s salary will rise to $41,936 from $40,914.
With the increase, each city council member will make $3,295 per year instead of $3,215 per year. The city court judge’s salary will increase to $12,680 from $12,371.
With the 2.5 percent pay increase, the street and park department superintendent, fire chief, police chief, water department superintendent and wastewater treatment superintendent will all make $40,318 per year, up from $39,335.
Hosier said he felt the pay increase was fair. It wasn’t as high as last year’s 3.5 percent because the cost of health care for the city was very expensive this year, he said.
Kennedy did not have a figure for the total impact the pay increases will have on the budget.
In other business, a Portland man’s request died due to lack of motion.
Chris Butcher, 821 E. Walnut St., asked for the portion of Pierce Street located between Main and Walnut streets to be made one-way north. At the May 1 council meeting he said making the street one-way would make it safer. The street is too narrow for two vehicles to safely pass each other, he said at that meeting. Sometimes vehicles have to drive into his yard to pass each other.
Before the request died, Kay Locker, president of the Jay County Historical Society asked the council not to grant Butcher’s request. She said many people drive through the parking lot of the Jay County Historical Museum, 903 E. Main St., to access Pierce Street.
If the street were changed to one-way, she said even more people would drive through the parking lot, making it more dangerous for people entering and exiting the museum building.
Also Monday, council members:
•Voted to update the Portland Housing Authority resolution.
The old resolution was adopted in 1986, Hosier said. The new resolution updates the duties of the executive director, he said.
•Granted two re-zoning requests recommended for approval by the Portland Planning Commission.
Cindy VanSkyock asked for a lot located at 403 S. Meridian St. to be re-zoned to highway service from neighborhood business so she could open a shop in a renovated house.
Also, Maurice W. Alsip, one of the owners of the building which houses the Jay Garment Antique Mall, 500 S. Meridian St., asked for the lot to be re-zoned to highway service from industrial to allow the Dunkirk Fire Department to hold bingo tournaments in the rear of the building.
•Granted a five-year tax abatement to Coca-Cola Enterprises.
The company requested the abatement on the purchase of $6,950,000 in manufacturing equipment. The high-tech cans line is expected to create 12 additional jobs with salaries totaling $359,840.
Before the council voted, Bob Quadrozzi, executive director of Jay County Development Corporation, said the Portland Tax Abatement Advisory Committee met on Wednesday and unanimously recommended the council grant the request.
•Heard Jeff Harker, street and park department superintendent, announce that work on Meridian Street is expected to begin May 22.
Strawser Inc., a company working for the Indiana Department of Transportation, is expected to begin applying a microseal surface at Williamson Drive on the south edge of Portland. The work, which will continue north to Votaw Street, is expected to be done on May 23, 24 and 30, he said.
Harker also announced that LICA Construction Corp. of Berne began milling sections of several city streets on Monday. Paving on those streets is expected to begin Wednesday and continue until sometime next week, he said.[[In-content Ad]]
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