Thursday, December 24, 2009
By Mary Smith
Administrative personnel had not had raises in two or three years.
MINERAL RIDGE — Weathersfield Township trustees have approved raises for nonunion employees for 2010.
Trustee Chairman James Stoddard said the township has been frugal in its expenses.
“We manage our money wisely,” he said, adding that the raises are deserved by employees who haven’t had increases in 10 months to three years or more.
He noted that township bargaining unit employees have been given raises.
“Receipts have been a little bit better than expected,” he said, “ We feel these increases are justified at this time.”
Trustees Tuesday approved clarifying township Administrator David Pugh’s employment criteria in a separate resolution stating the terms and conditions of his employment starting Jan. 1 and setting his salary at $60,542, up from $57,000. He has not had a raise for three years.
The Chief of Police Joseph Consiglio and Police Captain /Detective Michael Naples’ contracts also were backed up with a separate resolution clarifying the terms and conditions of their employment.
Stoddard explained that senior employees in the township have employment contracts that give stability to the township and the employee. He said this prevents changes to those contracts being made “at the whim of somebody who gets mad” and spells out what the township expects of the employee.
The resolutions spell out how they will be paid, conditions of termination with or without cause, and that they are eligible for severance pay in any case.
Pugh, who has been township administrator for many years, was reinstated to the position two years ago after he was reduced to road superintendent three or four years ago.
As administrator, he is responsible for general administrative duties, conducting negotiations, budget, zoning, planning and acting as road superintendent.
Consiglio’s salary was set at $55,885, from $54,099, for 2010. He and the police captain have had no raise in two years. Capt. Michael Naples’ salary was set at $51,228 starting Jan. 1, from $48,943.
Part-time police officers will receive a 50-cent-an-hour raise to $9.50 an hour.
Fire Chief Randy Pugh was rehired with a wage increase of $386.97 to $11,500 for 2010, and assistant Fire Chief Ken Boring was rehired with a wage increase of $266.22 for a rate of $7,500 for 2010.
Volunteer firefighters were rehired with an increase of 50 cents per call to raise the per-call rate to $9.50. Fire officers will receive $10.50, and training will be paid at a rate of $10.75 a single call.
In a practice started last year, trustees have given the fire chief the discretion of increasing a firefighter’s pay for lengthy call-outs.
Others receiving increases of 50 cents per hour included: Sherri Craver, administrative secretary, at an hourly rate of $17.50; Cindy Smith, office assistant, at a rate of $12.50; and Melissa Maiorana, part-time office assistant, at a rate of $9.50.
Office personnel had been given a wage adjustment in the last quarter of 2008, Stoddard said.
Trustees also named Stephanie Ramer to a new, five-year term on the Board of Zoning Appeals and re-appointed Fred McCandless to a new five-year term on the zoning commission. Both terms start Jan.1 and run through Dec. 31, 2014.
James Mitegra was named to a four-year term on the zoning commission starting Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2013, to fill the unexpired term of Chuck Pierce, who resigned.
Trustees also hired part-time police officers David Fridley of Niles and George Antonell Jr. of Austintown.
Trustees will continue to have their regular meetings at 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month. Their reorganization meeting is set for 6:45 p.m. Jan. 12 before the next regular meeting. Open forum will be at 6:15 p.m.