As 2020 winds down, the City of Delaware is finalizing appropriations for the coming year, including the proposed raises for various city employees. During Monday’s Delaware City Council meeting, second readings for those raises were read, with expected approval to come next month. If approved, the new rates will go into effect beginning Dec. 23.
Arguably, no one has been more integral to navigating the city through this difficult year than City Manager Tom Homan, and he is in line for a raise to reward those tireless efforts. Proposed is a 4% annual increase for Homan, which would see his hourly rate increase to $79.45.
“Where would Delaware be without our city manager?” Mayor Carolyn Riggle asked during the meeting. “Tom Homan has done such an exceptional job this year. It’s just unbelievable what he’s done, coming in off his vacation to do things, to make sure that we are all kept abreast of every single change that has happened through this unbelievable year. We just can’t thank you enough for helping to guide us through it…”
The circumstances of the pandemic and the restrictions on group gatherings have forced council to turn to ulterior methods in order to keep the public informed on city matters. Council Clerk Elaine McCloskey has led the way in setting the city up on virtual platforms to share meetings with the community, and she, too, will be rewarded with a raise for her work during the pandemic.
“It has been quite a discussion between council that because of the year that we’ve had, without Elaine learning all of the new technology, the city council could not have moved forward,” Riggle said. “The public, through Facebook, would not have heard what’s going on all this time and trying to keep everybody up to date. So, with the outstanding job that we felt she did this year, it is our wish to give her a 4% raise. We know it’s a little uncommon, but 2020 has been a very uncommon year, and we feel that she deserves it.”
Both Riggle and the members of city council are also in line for a bit of a raise. As mayor, Riggle will receive an additional $345, bringing her total salary for the position up to $11,845 if approved. Council members will see an increase of $300 to their pay for a total of $10,300 per year. Riggle pointed out the raises are an annual increase, laughing and saying, “A lot of people don’t understand what we actually make.”
If approved, raises for both the mayor and city council members won’t go into effect until Jan. 1, 2022.
A 3% raise was approved by council Monday for all of the city’s non-union employees. The raise will be added to each “step” in the city’s Non-Union Employee Payment Plan. Step increases will take effect the first full pay period following the employee’s anniversary date.
