Parkersburg City Council to consider raises, police funds
PARKERSBURG — City Council will consider a 5 percent pay increase for employees and matching funds for a grant to hire two police officers when it meets Tuesday.
The second regular meeting of the month for council is slated for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers at the Municipal Building. It will be followed by an Urban Renewal Authority meeting to discuss a proposed property donation.
The raises for all municipal workers except elected officials and appointed department heads were proposed by Mayor Jimmy Colombo as a means of not only increasing pay but preparing the city for what he sees as an inevitable increase in minimum wage.
If approved, the raises would take effect in December and cost the city $303,377 for the remainder of the 2016-17 fiscal year. That money would be taken out of the carryover from the previous fiscal year.
Going forward, the increased salaries will cost the city $560,179 a year, according to data from Finance Director Eric Jiles.
Council is being asked to approve a resolution to allocate the carryover funds, which only requires one reading. An ordinance increasing the base pay will be considered on first reading Tuesday, but will have to pass then and on Nov. 15 to take effect.
The salary figures also include the creation of two new positions — an executive administrative assistant for the mayor’s office and an assistant information technology technician. Currently, IT manager Mike Wilson is the only employee handling IT matters for the city.
A separate ordinance would establish those jobs.
Also on the agenda is a resolution to accept a federal Community Oriented Policing Services grant that will pay $250,000 toward the salaries and benefits of two officers over three years. The city will contribute progressively more each year.
Another resolution would revise the police budget by moving $30,000 from the salary of an unfilled position to upgrade cages on 42 police cruisers. Earlier this month, a suspect handcuffed in the back of a police car was able to get by the cage into the front seat and steal the cruiser before crashing it.
Council will also consider the first reading of an ordinance authorizing the lease/purchase financing of 12 new cruisers for $349,164 over five years at a 1.8 percent interest rate through United Bank, among other items.