YOUNGSTOWN — The mayor is proposing 15 percent salary increases for the law and finance directors — jobs that have gone without pay raises for the past 13 years.

While city council members were supportive of pay increases for the two at a Wednesday finance committee meeting, they said they wanted to compare them to salaries for the two positions at similar cities before voting.

Council members also asked that proposed legislation for annual pay raises — which would go from $83,949 to $96,553.60 — be separated into two ordinances, allowing the legislative body to vote on each individually.

The finance committee Wednesday declined to recommend the proposed ordinances for the raises so city council won’t vote on them at its Dec. 16 meeting.

Mayor Jamael Tito Brown said he wanted it approved at that meeting so it could take effect Jan. 1.

“We’ll get them the research,” he said after the meeting. “It won’t be done for the next meeting. I want to get them a complete picture. I don’t want to piecemeal it.”

City voters last month approved a charter amendment 58.8 to 41.2 percent allowing the salaries of the two positions to be determined by council, rather than old charter language that stated the pay is 80 percent of the mayor’s salary, which is currently $104,936.

Brown proposed raising the annual salaries to $96,553.60.

AMOUNTS

The amounts were determined, Brown said, by Kyle Miasek, interim finance director, after reviewing the salaries of other department heads — specifically the fire and police chiefs, who will make $94,250.17 annually beginning next month — as well as top staff members in the finance and law departments.

The city’s chief information officer, who works under Miasek, will make $91,079.78 annually. The deputy law director, who works under Law Director Jeff Limbian, makes $80,391.96.

Miasek, deputy finance director since 2006, was named by Brown as interim finance director in January 2018. He hasn’t officially been appointed finance director by a vote of city council.

Limbian was hired as law director in January 2018, when Brown took office.

After Jan. 1, Miasek would actually make more money if he returned to his deputy finance director job as that position’s salary goes to $84,729.

Brown pointed out that Miasek doing the jobs of interim finance director and deputy finance director has saved the city more than $375,000 in the past three years. He also said by having Limbian take over the responsibilities of the city prosecutor, the city has saved about $300,000 during that same time.

Brown said at Ohio’s most populous cities, finance directors are paid about $105,000 to $125,000 annually while law directors get about $108,000 to $184,000.

DISCUSSION

Councilwoman Lauren McNally, D-5th Ward and chairwoman of the finance committee, said: “I see the need to increase the salary to attract the best candidates.”

She asked for the amount of outside legal fees spent by the city while Councilwoman Anita Davis, D-6th Ward, asked for a salary comparisons for the two jobs from other cities in the same economic condition as Youngstown.

There was some discussion about not considering a vote on the raises until after the city’s budget is approved in February or March 2021.

Meanwhile, the finance committee Wednesday recommended council vote next week on a proposal to hire an information technology network administrator primarily for the fire department and to assist with other departments.

Fire Capt. Timothy Frease spends about 10 hours a week to maintain the department’s computer and telephone systems, said Rick Deak, the city’s chief information officer. The department needs someone full time to handle matters, he said, and that person could help other city departments.

The job’s starting annual salary would be $46,457.22, go to $50,589.14 in the second year and then to $55,409.74 a year later.

Brown also told council Wednesday that the administration is taking steps to create a central purchasing agent who would be in charge of buying items for the city.

“If we buy in bulk, it strengthens our power and lowers our price,” he said.

A proposal would be ready for council to consider by March, Miasek said.

The salary for the purchasing agent wasn’t discussed at Monday’s meeting.

dskolnick@tribtoday.com