07-28-75 Council Meeting Minutes

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COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING (CONTINUED) Section 5 to read: The Common Council recommends that the contribution to dependent hospitalization be increased by $84 per year. Section 4 becomes Section 6. Council President Parent seconded the motion to amend. Councilman Miller then made a motion to amend the amendment as follows: Strike Section 3 and replace with the following: No police officer shall be assigned a service year for 1976 which would result in a lower salary than his base salary as of December 31, 1975, except as may otherwise be ordered by the Board of Safety in case of a reduction in rank. Councilman Horvath seconded the motion to amend the amendment. Council President Parent spoke in opposition to the amendment to the amendment. He felt that each officer should be entitled to the $416 increase in salary, and with Councilman Miller's motion, there was a chance that some of the officers might receive less than the $416 increase. There was a call for the question, and a roll call vote was taken on the amendment to the amend- ment. That motion carried by a vote of six ayes (Councilmen Szymkowiak, Miller, Kopczynski, Horvath, Nemeth and Newburn) and three nays (Councilmen Serge, Taylor and Parent). Councilman Miller then clarified his amendment to include in Section I the addition of $16 for each service year from 1 through 12 for Corporal, Technician Detective, Specialist Det. Serg., Sergeant, Lieutenant and Captain. Councilman Nemeth seconded the motion. The motion carried. There was a call for the question on the entire amendment. Council President Parent requested a roll call vote. The amendment passed by a vote of seven ayes (Councilmen Serge, Szymkowiak, Miller, Taylor, Horvath, Nemeth and Newburn) and two nays (Councilmen Kopczynski and Parent). Police Officer William Coar, representing the Wage Committee of the Fraternal Order of Police, indicated that negotiations had opened with the Council in May, and it was the large feeling of the Police Department that the officers were not receiving a moderate salary if compared to the statistics of the Bureau of Labor. He indicated that the base pay was below the recommended amount. He mentioned the fact that many officers work additional jobs in order to compensate themselves. He stated that the F.O.P. wanted a starting patrolman to receive $5.00 an hour. The F.O.P. asked that there be an adjustment between each rank of $1,000. Officer Coar indicated that approval of this request was not met because of the frozen tax rate. He stated that the F.O.P. understood that problem and had asked that a life insurance and dental insurance plan be picked up, He stated that this had been denied by the Council. The F.O.P. had also requested an increase in the clothing allowance and payment for the off -duty gun which each officer was required to carry. He indicated that approximately 29 officers would be getting less than the $400 increase below the rank of Corporal. He asked that the ordinance be amended again to insure that no officer receive less than a $416 base wage increase. He stated that this was done last year, and he could not understand why it could not be done again. Police Officer Charles Mahank, President of the F.O.P., presented the following hourly rates: Officer in Training $4.10 Compared to: Junior Clerk (clerical) $6.45 Patrolman 4.33 Junior Key Punch Operator 5.95 Patrolman First Class 4.62 Clerk - Typist 5.60 Corporal 4.96 Drill Press Operator 5.46 Technician Detective 5.19 Grinder 5.62 Lieutenant 5.71 Welder (Torrington) 5.86 Captain 5.83 Painter 5.50 Division Chief 7.04 Journeyman 8.58 Chief 7.96 Apprentice 6.01 Truck Repairman (A.M. General) 6.65 Boiler Repairman 6.57 Janitor 5.48 Officer Mahank felt these comparisons pointed out the need of the officers within the department. Police Officer Martin Gersey, member of the 1976 F.O.P. Wage Committee, read another comparison of neighboring police rates: Patrolman First Class in South Bend $4.62 Michigan City 4.69 Fort Wayne 5.19 Hammond 5.51 Evansville 4.84 Warren, Ohio 5.28 Canton, Ohio 5.06 Toledo, Ohio 5.77 Grand Rapids, Michigan 6.69 Springfield, Illinois 5.71 Oak Lawn, Illinois 7.12 Evanston, Illinois 6.95 Police Officer William Humphries, F.O.P. Wage Committee, indicated that a professional police department was requested by the Council, and in return a professional pay was requested by the officers. He indicated that the pay raises were below the average increase. Mr. Gene Evans, Executive Secretary of the Civic Planning Association, read into the record the following statement of the association: Gentlemen: The South Bend Civic Planning Association in reviewing the budgetary needs of the City of South Bend for 1976 realizes the difficulty of meeting rising costs with the limited additional revenue provided by increased property valuation. Approximately $470,000 more revenue will be available in 1976 (assuming a $5.00 civil city tax rate).