Housing authority approves pay raises
Concerns over a possible 8 percent cut in federal operating subsidy and for giving lower-paid workers a boost prompted the Fayette County Housing Authority board to approve a flat $750 pay raise for 48 nonunion management employees Thursday. However, the 3-2 vote exempted two management employees whose pay already exceeds the maximum of the salary range for their job titles. They are systems analyst William Guldenschuh at $67,197 and housing inspector John Santo at $46,000, according to housing authority sources.
Sonya Over, the authority’s director of finance, said the raises for the other 48 employees would total $36,000. The move does not affect the authority’s unionized maintenance staff and project managers.
Board member William “Trip” Radcliffe made the motion, agreeing with board member Beverly Beal that the board should make a priority of increasing the salary of lower-paid workers – a goal not achieved by using the traditional percentage pay increase.
Board Vice Chairman James V. Bitonti and board member Nancy Sutton joined Radcliffe in approving the pay raises for the 2004-05 fiscal year that actually began July 1. Beal initially joined that trio, but later changed her vote after realizing that it didn’t accomplish her goal of freezing more than two high salaries.
“I would like to freeze wages (for) anybody (making) over $40,000,” said Beal at the outset, “and then come up with a number for the lower-paid people.”
Board Chairwoman Angela M. Zimmerlink voted against the move for essentially the same reason as Beal. She said the Radcliffe motion accomplished some of what she wanted done, but didn’t freeze the pay for certain other positions as she’d previously discussed with the board.
Initially Radcliffe’s motion for $750 raises passed by a 3-2 vote, but he amended it after Zimmerlink pointed out that as worded it didn’t solve the problem of the two employees already making more than the top of their respective salary range.
“If we are trying to fix a problem that needs fixed, this does not do that,” said Zimmerlink.
When attorney Gary Frankhouser, who relieved solicitor John M. Purcell midway through the meeting, said it was possible for Radcliffe to amend his motion to exclude the two employees, the newest board member did so and it passed on a 4-1 vote with Zimmerlink the only nay.
However, after the board returned from an executive session held to discuss other matters, Beal changed her vote. Frankhouser said that since she had misunderstood the amended Radcliffe motion, “It is my opinion that she can change her vote.”
During earlier discussion on the pay raise matter, Zimmerlink noted that the housing authority faces an unknown but possibly deep cut in its federal operating subsidy. She said the board should be aware that it could face the daunting task of finding money to sustain the raises in the next fiscal year.
The housing authority had tentatively budgeted for a 2.75 percent pay increase for nonunion management employees – a plan that would have cost $43,000. Under that scenario, Executive Director Thomas L. Harkless would have gotten a $3,240 raise, from $117,839 to $121,079.
But the $750 raise will increase Harkless pay to $118,589 in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.
Harkless said that since the authority will be spending a smaller amount than what was budgeted for raises, the board could revisit the issue at a future meeting and possibly redistribute the excess dollars to lower-paid workers.