Exit fiscal emergency, enter pay raises in Girard

By Robert Guttersohn

rguttersohn@vindy.com

Girard

City Council approved raising the salaries of four city administrators and city council effective Jan. 1.

The action Wednesday night would give the mayor, safety-service director, law director and auditor a 6 percent raise. Council members would get raises of $1,606 a year.

The raises still have to be approved by Mayor James Melfi, who in past interviews endorsed a minimal raise but would not say whether he thought 6 percent was minimal.

The raises would take effect the same day the city emerges from a 10-year fiscal emergency.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Councilman Brian Kren said after council adjourned the meeting.

Council President Reynold Paolone said the idea of raises was discussed over the past eight years, ever since council cut its pay from $4,606 to $3,000, which is the minimum salary state law allows for city council members.

“It’s been something that’s been discussed over time,” he said.

He said when the council approved the cuts, it felt the $13,000 saved would help a city in “trouble.”

“If that paid for half a fireman at that point, we looked at that as being important,” Paolone said.

Council believes the city can afford the raises now.

“This isn’t just a shoot-from-the-hip thing,” Paolone said.

The city has developed a five-year forecast to ensure the city stays out of fiscal emergency; the raises are included in the forecast.

Finance Committee Chairman Frank Migliozzi said the plan includes both spending reductions and increased revenues.

He said this summer the committee and the administration will rehash the forecast to account for $240,000 the city had planned to spend but did not last year and a $500,000 budget surplus.

“That’s essentially a $740,000 turnaround,” Migliozzi said.

“It’s been a long eight years,” Paolone said. “We did everything we could to keep this city running on threads.”