Lawmakers give raises to top administrators

Police and fire chiefs and city hall managers got raises, too.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Last-minute pay raises approved Wednesday will give the city's top administrators a truly happy new year.
City council, without comment, unanimously approved substantial raises starting in 2002 for board of control members -- the mayor, law director and finance director.
Mayor George M. McKelvey's $80,137 salary this year will jump roughly $6,000 each year to $99,399 by 2004. The city charter says the law and finance directors are to make 80 percent of the mayor's salary.
By law, it's the first raise for control board members since they took office four years ago. Control board member salaries can't be changed in midterm, meaning they must be set every four years before a new term starts. McKelvey's second term starts in January.
Finance Director Barbara Burtner and Law Director Robert Bush Jr. will be just short of $80,000 by 2004.
In 2005, all three control board members are to receive the same percentage increase that the Youngstown Police Association gets, if any, between Dec. 1, 2004, and Nov. 30, 2005.
Comparisons: Burtner said the raises put salaries at comparable levels with other cities.
For example, the $72,317 salary of Warren's law director this year is about $8,000 more than Burtner and Bush. Even with the raises, Warren's law director will make more than the city's law and finance directors in 2002 and 2003.
The new salaries also are comparable with private-sector pay for jobs with similar responsibilities, Burtner said.
Ahead of assistants: Meanwhile, the police and fire chiefs got raises to put them ahead of their assistants, and city hall managers got raises equal to what union employees received.
Police captains and assistant fire chiefs, because of union contracts, made about $3,200 more during 2001 than their bosses.
With $68,500 salaries in 2002, Police Chief Richard Lewis and Fire Chief John J. O'Neill Jr. will be about $1,300 ahead of their closest underlings. Lewis plans to retire in the spring, however, so he won't see much of the benefit.
City hall management workers got raises of 4 percent and 30 cents more per hour, the same raises contained in recently approved union contracts.
There was little notice that any of the raises would be proposed or granted by city lawmakers.
Requests for the legislation were drawn up Friday. As of late Wednesday afternoon no legislation had been sent to city council's office. The moves, however, were on its agenda at 5:30 p.m.
Reasons for raises: Several factors were used to calculate the raises, Burtner said.
First, fire and police chief salaries needed to be set above their captains or assistants, since the chiefs have more responsibilities, she said. Periodically, salaries must be adjusted because of union contracts, she said.
Control board members have financial responsibility for the whole city, so finance and law director pay was set just above chiefs', Burtner said.
The mayor must make 20 percent more than the two directors, so his salary is set there.
rgsmith@vindy.com