The Plymouth City Council members held a brief discussion concerning an ordinance that fixes the salaries for the appointed officers and employees, fire, and police personnel for 2020.
At a meeting in June, the council members defeated a motion on the first reading of the ordinance that would allow for a two percent increase for employees, but a higher increase for the airport manager, city attorney and building commissioner proposed at four percent.
At the time, Councilman Don Ecker, Jr. agreed to meet with Clerk-Treasurer Jeanine Xaver to go over the numbers and present a recommendation at a later meeting.
Monday night, Ecker, Jr. recommended that the airport manager and the building commissioner salaries be increased four percent. This would bring their pay in line with the rest of the department heads.
The city attorney’s salary would increase 3.5 percent. The reasoning was given by Mayor Mark Senter noting Sean Surrisi’s extensive work with Marshall County Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Jerry Chavez in getting “unique financing” and paperwork in place to welcome new economic growth in the city when two larger companies closed.
Ecker, Jr. also recommended that the city employees receive a 2.8 percent increase.
“That is to keep them in line with the cost of living,” said Ecker, Jr. “We’ve found ourselves over the last several years, if you’ll recall, where we were giving modest increases or no increases at all and we found ourselves falling behind. Looking at the study I did and looking at the 2.8 percent – I felt it was fair and equitable to the employees of the city and that’s what I recommend.”
The council members approved the recommendations and the ordinance on second and third readings with a unanimous vote.
