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Girard council discusses salary increases
GIRARD
City council moved to a third reading ordinances to increase the salaries of the city’s officials and council members.
Raises are proposed for the city auditor, service director, law director, mayor, president of council and city council members effective 2020.
City council members’ increases will go from about $633 a month to $660 a month so council members can meet the minimum pay that qualifies public employees for the Ohio Public Employee Retirement System.
Council will give the final reading and potentially vote on the increases at the April 22 meeting.
City Auditor Sam Zirafi is reviewing council’s recommendation to increase the officials’ salaries incrementally over a period of four years. Officials serve four-year terms.
Zirafi will review the suggestion to increase officials’ salaries by 6 percent in 2020, and then 2 percent annually the next three years. Council had discussed the increase during a finance committee meeting.
He said he will have the exact salary figures calculated by next Thursday. The figures will be attached to council members’ packets for the next meeting.
Councilman John Moliterno said city Law Director Brian Kren will review the suggestion. He noted that officials and council members can’t receive raises during their terms.
During the citizens’ comment portion, part-time city dispatcher Gary Barton asked council to also consider a pay increase for the city’s six part-time dispatchers, who make $10 per hour. The city has one full-time dispatcher.
The dispatchers work 32 hours per week. Barton said the dispatchers don’t receive holiday pay, sick leave or vacation.
“It’s time the city stops treating the part-time city dispatchers as disposable employees. We are public-safety professionals holding your city’s safety in our hands, and we would appreciate your consideration in giving us a better wage,” he said.
Moliterno said he will discuss the issue with the mayor and service director.
Also at this week’s meeting, resident Rich DeSalvo said he was concerned with the appearance of some vacant buildings in the city’s downtown.
Councilwoman Fran Wilson said she requested commercial zoning reports and wants commercial property owners to bring their properties up to standard.