Morris OKs raises for mayor, clerk
By Sarwat S. Ahmad Correspondent November 1, 2012 8:08AM
Kopczick
Updated: December 5, 2012 6:21AM
Mayoral and city clerk positions in Morris will see a 3 percent pay raise after all for the next four fiscal years.
In a special meeting called by three aldermen last week, the city council approved by a 5-2 vote an ordinance to raise the salaries of the mayor and city clerk for the fiscal year starting May 1, as well as the three years following.
Both positions are up for election on April 9, with a primary, if needed, set for Feb. 26. The petition filing period is Nov. 17-24.
This ordinance, which needed a supermajority vote to pass, had failed during the council’s Oct. 15 meeting with a 3-2 vote in its favor.
The special meeting was called by Aldermen Bill Martin, Julian Houston and Duane Wolfe.
“Duane, Julian and I felt like this was an issue where we needed to have a large majority of aldermen present,” Martin said in a later interview.
Aldermen Wolfe, Barry Aldrich, and Randy Larson had not been present at the first vote. Larson again was working and could not be present at last week’s meeting.
Aldermen Ken Sereno, Wolfe, Houston, Martin and Aldrich all voted in favor of the pay raises, while Aldermen Drew Muffler and Don Hansen voted against it.
Both Hansen and Muffler had voted against the ordinance the first time as well.
“This (ordinance) should have been approved because all the non-union city employees have received a 3 percent pay increase,” Martin said.
“I like to keep things even so there is no animosity between the city employees.”
According to the ordinance, the mayor’s salary will increase to $83,000 for fiscal year May 1, 2013-April 30, 2014 and then $85,500, $88,000 and $90,500 for the three years following, respectively.
The city clerk’s salary will increase to $72, 100 for fiscal year May 1, 2013-April 30, 2014 and then $74,275, $76,500, and $79,000 for the three years following, respectively.
Mayor Richard P. Kopczick and City Clerk John Enger both have pulled petitions for the April election.
“(Both these votes) did not have any bearing on whether I would have filed my petition for re-election,” Kopczick said later.
