HUBBARD — City council has approved pay increases for elected officials to begin in 2022.

Hubbard Mayor Ben Kyle said there has been discussion on making changes to the elected and nonelected positions slowly, noting this past year the community faced the coronavirus pandemic that caused economic hardships with job losses.

“This was a systematic approach to slowly adjust the salaries of these positions while having as least an impact on the budget as possible,” Kyle said.

Effective in 2022, city council members will see a $150-per-month increase, bringing their pay to $6,600 per year, and council president to $6,900 per year.

Other elected positions that will see an increase are the auditor by $500 per year to $50,000 in 2022, $50,500 in 2023, $51,000 in 2024 and $51,500 in 2025. The treasurer will see an increase of $100 per year to $10,000 in 2022, $10,100 in 2023, $10,200 in 2024 and $10,300 in 2025.

The elected pay adjustments all received third and final reading at Tuesday’s city council meeting.

Receiving a second reading with a third reading scheduled Feb. 1 is a raise for the mayor’s secretary, whose wage will increase to $35,400 in 2021, $35,900 in 2022, and $36,500 in 2023.

Kyle said all pay adjustments were proposed in December and went through three readings. First Ward Councilwoman Bonnie Viele said council did elected positions first and then the appointed positions.

Also given a second reading was the clerk of council to $7,500 per year and also $12.50 per hour for any work over 30 hours per month effective in 2021.

Council last month approved a new three-year agreement with the 25 members of the American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 125, which represents all city employees except police officers and firefighters.

Kyle said the employees will receive a 1 percent pay increase in 2021, 2 percent in 2022 and 2 percent in 2023. He said employees will be contributing more to their health insurance. The new contract is retroactive to Jan. 1.

In other business, council also approved the contract with MS Consultants on the design and implementation for the Myron Street sidewalk project covered by a Transportation Alternative Program grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation at $98,312.

“This will be an ongoing project this year,” Kyle said.

Also, Kyle reported he has spoken to Phil Mazi, owner of Handyman Hardware, who has proposed a partnership between the city and the store to give 250 smoke detectors to Hubbard city and Hubbard Township residents who need them through a drive-thru event.

“We will work out a way for people to pick them up and discuss a date on when to hold this,” Kyle said.

bcoupland@tribtoday.com