WHEELING - City Council members today will vote on the $27.96 million budget for fiscal 2011, after council's finance committee approved the plan by a 3-0 vote Monday.
Committee members Vernon Seals, James Tiu and Eugene Fahey granted their approval to the plan, which they - in their roles and council members - will vote on again at 7 p.m. today in City Council Chambers on the second floor of the City-County Building, 1500 Chapline St.
The budget contains no pay raises for any employees, though council members did discuss the possibility of eventually increasing Centre Market Manager Paula Calvert's salary from its current $24,401. City Manager Robert Herron said the Centre Market Commission currently determines Calvert's salary.
Mayor Andy McKenzie and others, however, are discussing the possibility of giving Calvert more duties, which could eventually lead to her being classified with other city employees.
"If we do give her more responsibilities by working with new and emerging businesses, we should accommodate her," Tiu said regarding a potential pay increase.
According to the City Charter, Herron is solely responsible for setting employee pay, provided he has enough money in the budget to cover the costs. Though he plans no pay raises for any employees at this time, Herron did increase pay for each of his department heads by 8-11 percent during the current fiscal year. These increases exceed the 3-percent raises given to all employees last year.
Moreover, according to a list of city salaries obtained by The Intelligencer, Herron also gave at least three other employees raises exceeding 3 percent. For fiscal 2009-10, Marketing and Community Relations Specialist Joelle Ennis' salary was initially set at $37,275. Ennis now earns $39,393, reflecting a 5.7-percent increase.
Tom Connelly, assistant director of the Economic and Community Development department, now earns $47,984. This amount is 5.2 percent more than his $45,227 salary approved last year. City Engineer Conrad Slanina now earns $53,000. This is 5.7 percent more than his $50,131 salary approved in the fiscal 2010 budget plan.
Herron and McKenzie have stressed that the city eventually may be able to grant a raise to employees this year, provided there is a budget surplus when fiscal 2010 ends June 30.
As for the rest of the fiscal 2011 budget plans, Herron expects to draw $5.9 million directly from the Business and Occupation tax, a decrease of $1.67 million from the current fiscal year. However, Herron expects to collect $1.64 million more in delinquent B&O taxes for the year, helping to offset the projected direct losses.
The city manager also plans to hire a B&O auditor to help collect these delinquent taxes. The new employee position would cost $40,000 per year, including wages and benefits, Herron said.
In another finance committee action Monday, members voted 3-0 to approve the $125,000 coal severance budget. Spending plans for this money include $53,000 for office supplies and $72,000 for various festivals and community events.
Members also approved adding $100,000 in additional spending to the current fiscal year's budget. The money is expected to be spent as follows: $30,000 for utilities and services at Centre Market; $20,000 for vehicle maintenance for the fire department; $20,000 for overtime pay for the police department; and $30,000 for overtime pay for the operations department, due to extra work associated with snow removal.