Delaware Council approves raises for city employees

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Various city employees will have a little extra cash at their disposal in 2018 after Delaware City Council on Monday approved four salary-related ordinances.

Raises are in store for all permanent part-time and intermittent part-time/seasonal employees, as well as permanent part-time firefighters after council passed an ordinance amending section 155.09 of the city’s codified ordinances.

Retroactive to Dec. 27, 2017, all permanent part-time and intermittent part-time/seasonal employees will receive a 2 percent increase, while the per-hour rate for permanent part-time firefighters will increase by $1 per hour to $13 for a firefighter/EMT and $15 for a firefighter/paramedic.

Council also voted in favor of approving an ordinance amending the management, professional, technical, confidential, and supervisory employees pay plan.

Under the new guidelines, which are retroactive to Dec. 27, 2017, one new position within the non-union employee plan will be created, wages for non-union employees will increase by 2 percent, and department head pay plan ranges will jump by 2 percent.

The ordinance also allows for the creation of an additional position (fire captain) within the safety forces pay plan and includes tuition reimbursement language for non-union employees.

In a separate ordinance, council signed off on amending the Delaware Municipal Court and Clerk of Court employee benefits and leave policies.

A fact sheet provided by the city highlights the following changes: adding eligibility for the city’s vision care plan, increasing the clerk’s life insurance policy from $50,000 to $100,000, expanding the maximum salary range for an office assistant from $35,360 to $41,600 per year, and adding to the salary ranges the mission docket coordinator/community control officer position ($34,000 to $58,240 per year) and veteran mentor coordinator position ($33,280 to $49,920 per year).

City Manager R. Thomas Homan said all pay rate increases were accounted for in the 2018 budget approved last month by council.

As for the city manager position, council also approved an ordinance amending the employment agreement between the city and Homan.

Retroactive to Dec. 27, 2017, Homan’s hourly pay rate will increase from $68.20 to $71.66 due to a clause in his contract that allows him to convert his $600 per month car allowance, which he receives for using his own personal vehicle for city business, into salary.

A city fact sheet states, “Instead of a cost of living increase, the 2018 city manager salary reflects the conversion (of the monthly vehicle allowance into salary) without a cost neutral adjustment.”

Council member Lisa Keller said Homan will continue to use his own vehicle while tending to city business, and a car allowance will not be added into his contract at a later date as it’s now accounted for through an increase in his salary.

“The expectation still is that he will provide his own transportation,” she said.

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By Joshua Keeran

[email protected]

Contact Joshua Keeran at 740-413-0904. Follow him on Twitter @KeeranGazette.

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