Council still considering raises

Portland City Council once again tabled a vote on the proposed 2021 budget.

Council met Monday and decided not to vote on the budget over deliberation on how much of a raise city employees should get next year.

It also heard from Portland Mayor John Boggs that Portland Municipal Airport will likely receive a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to complete its runway extension project.

After requesting figures of what a 2% raise for city employees would look like at its last meeting, council requested city-clerk treasurer Lori Phillips gather additional data for what a 1.5% raise across the board would look like in addition to seeing if the $12.44 hourly rate for part-time firefighters could be increased.

A 3% raise was included in the budget’s first proposal. Council members were hesitant to give such a raise in light of likely future economic restraints because of a nationwide recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

“We want to pay them the best but we have to be fiscally responsible as well,” council member Dave Golden said.

The proposed 2021 budget factored with 3% raises totals $8.4 million, a nearly $300,000 increase from the 2020 budget,

Council member Janet Powers proposed giving a $2 pay increase to part-time Portland firefighters and police officers, the latter of whom make $16 an hour, and giving a 2% raise to all other first responders and a 1% raise to other city employees.

Powers cited heightened difficulties of being a first responder during the pandemic as justification for them receiving a larger raise than other city employees.

The proposal did not receive any verbal support from other council members.

“I don’t think that would sit well with the other employees,” Phillips said.

Council members discussed if it was time for part-time firefighters to receive a raise. They were not included in the proposed payroll ordinance.

Portland fire chief Mike Weitzel and Phillips said they’d look into whether the Indiana Department of Labor would allow part-time firefighters to receive a pay increase. The rate has been the same since Weitzel became chief, he said.

While calling in to the meeting because of his recent exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 (see related story), Boggs told council he received an email from someone who works in the office of Rep. Jim Banks that the FAA will provide the $2.9 million needed to complete phase one of airport’s 1,500-foot runway extension. The move is a sudden turn of events after the FAA announced just weeks ago it would only commit $300,000 to the project this fiscal year. The U.S. Department of Transportation is expected to formally announce the grant today or Wednesday, project engineer Jason Clearwaters said.

In other business, council members Don Gillespie, Matt Goldsworthy, Kent McClung, Michele Brewster, Mike Aker, Powers and Golden voted to pay Jones & Henry Engineers $1,008 for costs related to secondary system improvements at the city’s wastewater treatment plant.