By ZEINAB NAJM
Times-Herald Newspapers
HEIGHTS — The mayor, City Council members, treasurer and clerk will receive salary increases for the next two years following the recommendation from the city’s Local Officers Compensation Commission.
Salaries will change for the positions effective Jan. 1 and again on the same date in 2023.
The mayor’s salary increases from $89,879 to $98,186 and then to $103,095; and the city clerk and treasurer salaries increase from $76,513 to $86,895 and again to $91,240.
Council members will see an increase from the current $10,562 to $11,537 and then to $12,114. The council chair’s salary changes from $13,377 to 414,614 and again to $15,345.
During the Dec. 28 virtual council meeting, a motion to bring back the commission’s recommendation and then receive, note and file it was made.
The vote was unanimous with Council Chair Denise Malinowski-Maxwell and Councilman Ray Muscat absent. According to the recommendation the salaries proposed would be established unless the council adopted a resolution to reject them with a two-thirds vote — which they did not do.
They had 30 days after the determination to reject since the determination will be effective 30 days after its filing with the city clerk. Members of the commission met Nov. 30 where they discussed the recent history of the salaries of elected officials in the city and the documents and data they received.
“In light of all the foregoing, the LOCC determined that the salaries of the city’s elected officials should be increased to keep pace with inflation and also to ensure that the salaries keep pace with the salaries of comparable elected officials in comparable communities,” the determination notice said.
Before the vote, LOCC Chairman Donald Killion spoke where he said the commission meets every two years to determine compensation and encouraged the council to allow the recommendation to go into effect to help improve city.
“In 2012 when the city was suffering financially we voted for a decrease of compensation of 10 percent to meet the sacrifices being made by other employees in our city,” he said. “That decrease remained in effect for six years, unmatched in the 10 cities we use for comparison.”
Killion told the council that the LOCC’s recommendation is based on the position and duties and not the person in office.
“Two years ago we made our very fair and reasonable recommendation of modest increases; however, because of the political conflicts in our city at that time, the council voted to reject our recommendation,” he said. “Today, our current reviews prove we that were right on the mark on compensation two years ago.”
Corporation Counsel Gary Miotke listed other reasons the LOCC made its determination.
“To make sure elected officials currently serving and others in the future are going to be drawn to public service,” Miotke said. “A lot is happening in the city. There has been a lot of development and growth in the city. We need to have good, quality people who can spearhead those types of efforts.”
The last reason was that the LOCC’s determination might cost the city $20,000 which they felt given the importance of what’s involved was not a huge amount of money, Miotke said.
“Particularly because unlike, for example, employees, elected officials don’t have any sort of tenure, collective bargaining agreement and security,” he said. “So the LOCC felt that this was very important and the compensation package was very fair and reasonable and best for the city.”
All four council members in attendance spoke on the topic when the motion was up for discussion on the meeting agenda. They agreed that union employees in the city also deserved fair salary increases.
“I never personally was against increasing the salaries of the elected officials because I think their salaries are very low, and I agree with the commission that we need to attract the best of the best to our city,” Councilman Zouher Abdel-Hak said. “I just wanted to make my position that I would like that to be fair to our other employees because I don’t want to see any employees in the general government not being able to provide for their families and have to go work other jobs.
“I am very confident that Mayor Bill Bazzi is aware of this and sure that he is going to be fair to all these employees.”
Councilman Mo Baydoun said he had a conversation with Bazzi and with some of the union employees to let them know he is going to be at the forefront fighting for them.
“I am in full support of the salary increases,” he said. “But I am also going to be very vocal … standing up for our union employees like DPW employees and the ones working out of the Building Department and all the rest if the union employees.”
During his comments, Council Chair Pro Tem Dave Abdallah said his personal proposal at the time was to hold off on voting for the salary increases until with negotiations with DPW, clerical and other union members throughout the city were completed.
“I’m in favor of paying people better, including our union members,” he said. “I had a conversation with the mayor and he will continue to negotiate fairly and equitably for all others involved.”
Councilman Tom Wencel said he to spoke to Bazzi and was assured contract negations will be settled fairly.
“Being a lifetime union member, it means a lot to me,” he said. “We are going to make sure this takes place sooner than later.”
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected].)