Saturday, April 21, 2001
Added job duties necessitated the raise, the WRAP board chairman said.
WARREN -- The board overseeing Warren Redevelopment and Planning Inc. has given its director a $10,000 salary increase as part of a new three-year contract.
The 25-member board agreed this week to increase the salary, which includes no medical benefits or pension plan, for director Mike Keys.
He went from making $36,000 to $46,000 per year.
Atty. Gilbert Rieger, WRAP board director, said the board felt Keys deserved a larger increase, but needed to stay within its budget.
WRAP is a nonprofit corporation initially formed some years ago to boost downtown development and revitalization efforts.
Mayor Hank Angelo said the agency also handles downtown marketing, facade and loan programs for businesses, certain loan programs for the city and Trumbull County and management of the city's Riverwalk and Robins Theater projects.
Funding for salary: Angelo, who serves as a WRAP board member, said Keys' salary is funded through economic development funds and Community Development Block grants. He also pointed out that Keys is not a city employee.
Job duties have more than tripled since WRAP first formed, employing only a director and part-time secretary, Keys and Rieger said.
Now, there are one part-time and two full-time employees and consultants who are sometimes hired for work on projects, he explained. WRAP is also looking to hire a downtown coordinator whose duties will include marketing and public relations.
The WRAP board is composed of community and business leaders, with representatives from the Warren schools, Trumbull County, Fine Arts Council of Trumbull County, the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce and city council.