10-10-16 Personnel and Finance - Laserfiche WebLink

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Councilmember Dr. Varner thanked Mr. Bognar for his comments, and agreed with Councilmember Scott. We do this as a service, but as the exploding demands continue, it might be appropriate for the Council to become full -time in order to do their job well. Leading by example is very important, and if we were to ask for extraordinary raises for the Council, we would expect that extraordinary raises for everyone else would be in order. He hopes that we are all doing this for a worthwhile reason rather than just for greater compensation. Committee Chair White stated that people need to remember that the Council does a lot of work outside of the meetings every other week. A lot of preparation goes into the work they do at each meeting, and they respond to the community at all hours of the day and night. Committeemember Ferlic motioned to send Bill No. 56 -16 to the full Council favorably, Committeemember Williams- Preston seconded, and it carried by a voice vote of four (4) ayes. Bill No. 57 -16: 2017 City Clerk Salary Kareemah Fowler, South Bend City Clerk with offices on the 4th floor, stated that requesting a salary adjustment is a very difficult decision. Any time one asks to place a monetary value on a job, it is very uncomfortable, especially when you are an elected official and in the spotlight. I do not take this request lightly, and to simply consider it a pay raise would be to diminish the Office of the City Clerk and its dedicated staff. As a long -time public servant, I am very aware of the need to respect both public and taxpayer dollars. This decision would be considered and based solely on the position of the City Clerk, and not about any personality. If one looks at the organizational chart, which is available in the City Clerk's Office, the Office of the City Clerk is one -third (1/3) of our foundation of government. It not only serves our citizens, it is the fabric that mends the connection between the other two- thirds (2/3) of our government: City Council and the Mayor. In addition, the City Clerk is the second highest elected position, only the mayor is higher. This position is historically underfunded. Over the last decade, the salary increases have been connected to the general percentage of yearly raises for hired City employees, who have detailed job descriptions and a certain level of education and experience, which is required to qualify for those jobs. Because the position is elected, there are very few requirements to become City Clerk. I believe that the elected nature of this j ob and the unique way it is funded has worked against the proper increases for several decades. The position represents one -third (1/3) of all City government, yet based on the 2015 payroll data, thirty -one percent (31 %) of all City positions are paid above the level of the City Clerk. The 2017 payroll adjustment would bring the position into parity with all other executive level positions within our City. The presented flow chart shows the yearly percentage level changes for the position over a forty -four (44) year period. From 1972 to 2016, increases have been flat, and sometimes decreased. Clerk Fowler provided other graphs which show other Cities levels of compensation. It shows the pay discrepancies between other city clerks in Indiana and their pay discrepancies with other executive level positions. Currently the City Clerk's salary is the lowest paid executive level 7