Council approves library wages, tables non-bargaining

City Council
By: 
Kim Brooks
Express Editor

     While the Monticello City Council approved the proposed wages for the three public library employees during their April 19 council meeting, they chose to table approving the wages for the city’s non-bargaining employees.

     The Monticello Library Board of Trustees approved the following wages for its staff for FY 2022, which goes into effect July 1, 2021:

     • Michelle Turnis, library director, $43,050 to $44,341.50

     • Penny Schmit, youth services, outreach and programming, $14.15 an hour to $14.86

     • Molli Hunter, technology, adult, and teen service, $11.75 an hour to $12.34

     The library board, unlike other city boards, has the authority and power to set staff wages without council approval. The council acknowledges the proposed wages.

     On the other hand, Public Works Director Nick Kahler, City Clerk Sally Hinrichsen, Lead Paramedic Lori Lynch, Parks and Rec Director Jacob Oswald, and Parks and Rec Superintendent Shannon Poe are set to all receive a 3 percent pay increase on July 1 for FY 2022. The 3 percent is in line with the bargaining employees, which is the city has tried to mimic for several years now.

     Those increases would include:

     • Kahler, $55,697.25

     • Hinrichsen, $68,296.21

     • Lynch, $26.10 an hour

     • Oswald, $54,590

     • Poe, $43,496.90

     The council also previously approved an annual increase for Water/Wastewater Superintendent Jim Tjaden in the amount of $3,000 a year. That would bring his salary to $64,000.

     Police Chief Britt Smith has an employment agreement that calls for a 2.5 percent raise. This would put Smith at $79,847.50. If the council chose to go with 3 percent like the rest of the city staff, it would come to $80,237.

     When the new city administrator was hired, Russ Farnum, he agreed to a raise at the same level as other non-bargaining employees. A 2.5 percent increase would bring him to $97,375; a 3 percent raise would be $97.850.

     With this information presented to the council, Council member Dave Goedken said he needed more background information on the wages before making a decision.

     “Where were we at in the past?” he asked. “The last three or four years?”

     Mayor Brian Wolken said standard practice in the past has been a wage increase between 2 and 3 percent for non-bargaining employees.

     Bargaining employees will receive a 55-cent an hour increase. When asked what that calculates to in terms of a percentage, Hinrichsen said it depends on each employee’s salary.

     Approval of the non-bargaining employees’ wage was tabled until the next council meeting, Monday, May 3.

Category:

Subscriber Login