Warsaw Human Resources Director Denny Harlan listens for questions from the Warsaw Common Council Monday about the salary ordinances. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — Five of the seven items before the Warsaw Common Council on Monday, Oct. 21, were second readings, including four salary ordinances and one additional appropriation ordinance.

The ordinances were approved on first reading at the council’s Oct. 7 meeting.

The total for the additional appropriation, from the American Rescue Plan Act Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund to the repairs and maintenance fund, is $1,767,573.65.

Clerk-Treasurer Lynne Christiansen said, “We’re trying to move the rest of the money out of the ARPA fund into the budget area so that we can get that money all appropriated with purchase orders before the end of the year so we can be in compliance with what the Treasury says.”

Asked by Councilwoman Diane Quance if all the funds were for repairs and maintenance, Christiansen said they’re just “parking it there because that’s where it looks like the major amount of things is going to be. So then if we need to move stuff around before the end of the year, we’ll do that by either a letter, if it’s in the 300 groups, or a resolution.”

No one spoke in favor or against the ordinance during the public hearing for the ordinance. The ordinance was unanimously approved.

Christiansen said she’d get it filed with the Department of Local Government Finance on Tuesday, Oct. 22.

Human Resource Director Denny Harlan presented the elected, general, police and fire salary ordinances. All were approved by the council by a vote of 7-0.

On the elected salary ordinance, he said the only change from the previous year was a 2.5% increase across the board.
Salaries in the ordinance include the mayor at $3,321.18 biweekly; clerk-treasurer, $3,023.06 biweekly; and common council, $9,034.36 annum. Additional compensation is paid for serving on the Board of Public Works and Safety ($125 per month); plan commission, fire territory and traffic commission, each $50 per meeting, not to exceed 16 meetings per annum.

The changes from the previous general salary ordinance, Harlan explained, included a 2.5% increase across the board; the addition of a supervisor position for Oakwood Cemetery; a title change from project inspector to engineer assistant for the engineering department; the addition of a human resources generalist position for human resources; reclassification of the recreation director from non-exempt to exempt in the parks department; and the addition of the civilian longevity pay. Longevity pay will be $120 per year of service up to 25 years.

Positions in the ordinance include city employees in aviation, building and planning, cemetery, clerk, community development, engineering, human resources, mayor, parks and recreation, planning, street, wastewater and stormwater utilities.

On the police salary ordinance, Harlan said the changes from the previous year include a 2.5% increase to their base pay across the board, increase in detective sergeant rank pay to $500, increasing the length of longevity pay from 20 to 25 years, change from the five-year maximum to number of years in a 77 Fund position for lateral transfers, increase shift premiums for second shift to 4% and third shift to 2% (they were 2 and 1% this year, respectively), and the addition of civilian longevity pay for all non-sworn employees.

Councilman Mike Klondaris asked, “Denny, will there continue to be a third shift?”

“As of right now, there is. With some of the plans that we’re discussing down at the police department, we’re looking at possibly going to 12-hour shifts, so then we would have a day shift and a night shift. So, that would change with an amendment once we get to that point,” Harlan answered.

Mayor Jeff Grose said Warsaw Police Department Chief Scott Whitaker and his leadership team, along with Harlan’s office, are working through what that might look like. “That would be more to come as they work through it and make a formal decision or request,” Grose stated.

Harlan said they’ve got a lot of details to work through before that can happen.

Finally, on the Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory salary ordinance, Harlan said the changes from the previous salary ordinance include a 2.5% increase on base pay across the board; consolidation of division chiefs (EMS chief, training chief, chief of prevention and education), increasing the length of longevity pay from 20 to 25 years, change from five-year maximum to number of years in a 77 Fund position for lateral transfers and the addition of civilian longevity for all non-sworn employees.

On the consolidation of division chiefs, Harlan explained, “The chief has asked to consolidate the division chiefs, so the EMS chief, training chief and the chief of prevention and education will all be one line. They used to be called fire marshal, so now it’s going to be the chief of prevention and education. The reason for that is, in order to make those positions valuable enough to have guys that want to step up into those, we kind of had to make them across the board to where it makes sense for them to go from an every third day position to a Monday through Friday position. So, a little bit of give and take with those steps. Some of the guys really value that two days off, and it was kind of a step backwards for them to actually rise up through the ranks, so we wanted to kind of make it to where it’s more fair across the board for those guys to want to step up and take on those leadership positions in the admin.”

Grose thanked Harlan for his leadership and said he continued to be impressed and pleased with Harlan’s leadership.

After getting through those ordinances, the council approved two resolutions.

The first was a resolution allowing the Warsaw Redevelopment Commission to amend the Northern Tax Increment Financing Plan acquisition list to allow for a waterline expansion project with Applied Thermal Technologies.

The project is expected to cost about $600,000, with Applied Thermal paying half and the Redevelopment Commission paying the other half.

The commission has been working with Applied Thermal to extend the waterline north along CR 100E by 1,300 feet to provide needed water treatment and fire protection for existing and future expansion.

The redevelopment commission and Warsaw Plan Commission approved similar resolutions previously, and with the council’s approval Monday, it will go back to the redevelopment dommission.

The second resolution was a request from Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory Chief Joel Shilling to transfer $28,856.23 from Family and Social Services Administration reimbursement grant for the territory’s Community Assistance, Resources and Emergency Services program to miscellaneous revenue for operating expenses