Girard council to consider pay raises

By John W. Goodwin Jr.

The mayor said he is unsure whether he will support the raises.

GIRARD — After starting 2008 in the black for the first time in more than 10 years, city officials are considering pay increases for the clerk of council, sergeant at arms and the top positions in the fire and police departments.

Police Chief Frank Bigowsky has had the top police spot for three years. Kenneth Bornemiss has had the fire chief’s position for six years. Neither man has had an increase in pay since assuming the position.

According to Sam Zirafi, city auditor, Bigowsky is paid $47,350 annually plus $1,716 in longevity pay. Bornemiss is paid $49,125 annually plus $2,756 for a paramedics certification and an additional $884 in longevity pay.

A proposal before council would take both men’s pay to $55,016. The proposal also includes provisions that will take the pay for both sergeant at arms to $35 per meeting from the current $30 rate, and increase the clerk of council’s pay to $5,200 annually from the current rate of $3,900.

The proposed legislation will have three readings before council takes any action.

Both Bigowsky and Bornemiss called the proposal fair as a starting point. Pay increases for both positions have been a topic of discussion for several months.

“We were assured at the finance committee meeting that discussions will continue,” Bornemiss said.

Bigowsky said it is good to see a majority of council in favor of granting the pay increases.

“It is a good start, and we appreciate council moving on this and working with us on this issue,” he said. “It’s long overdue, and I think the majority of council supports us on this.”

Mayor James Melfi said he is unsure whether he will support the pay increases until he has had time to review the legislation.

“I am going to look it over very, very closely,” the mayor said.

The mayor has the option to support or not support the legislation, but council can move forward with the pay increases without his blessing. Council, however, will have to show members of the fiscal oversight commission, which oversees spending in the city while the city is in fiscal emergency, how the increases fit into Girard’s spending plan.

The city has been in fiscal emergency since 2001.

Paul Marshall, oversight commission chairman, said the commission’s primary concern is to make sure the proposed increases, or any other spending measures, do not exceed what the city can afford.

“We do not get into the specifics; we are not here to run the city, but the city must operate within its recovery plan,” he said. “I really don’t think there is any plan on the part of the city to go outside that recovery plan.”

Marshall said the city could be looking at leaving fiscal emergency all together this year.

To be released from fiscal emergency, the city must cover its deficits, produce a five-year plan detailing how it will remain out of fiscal emergency and fix any accounting problems that may have been in place when it entered fiscal emergency.

“We will know better once we meet in June,” Marshall said. “I am hoping that we will have a revised five-year forecast. The general fund is in pretty good shape, but the water fund is now a concern.”

jgoodwin@vindy.com