The ordinance calls for a one-time $750 “incentive pay” increase for all non-union full-time city employees; a one-time increase of $750 for non-union permanent part-time public safety officers and judicial assistants; and a $500 one-time incentive pay increase for AFSMCE (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) union employees. The total outlay for the increases is $49,565, which is coming from revenue the city receives from taxes collected by the state on riverboat gambling operations.

The ordinance stipulates that elected officials and part-time city employees, other than those previously noted, will not receive an incentive pay increase.

A public hearing on this proposal was conducted prior to the council’s vote. There were no comments made be any of the audience members present.

New Castle’s emergency responders – police, fire and EMS personnel – also are getting a pay increase, as was previously reported in The Courier-Times.

At its regularly scheduled meeting Aug. 1, the city council passed Ordinance 3748 on third and final reading. It calls for $1,000 in incentive pay to be paid in the month of September and another $1,000 to be paid in the month of December for employees of the New Castle Police Department, New Castle Fire Department and New Castle EMS.

These incentive pay increases are possible because of money collected through the public safety local option income tax passed late last year by city and county leaders. These increases represent a total expenditure of $168,584.

Mayor Greg York previously said the city council’s finance committee was involved in the decision that resulted in the incentive pay and that he supports it. York said municipal emergency responders have received a pay increase each year since he took office, but that they are still underpaid compared to other Hoosier cities similar in size to New Castle.

The council also passed Ordinance 3751 on first reading. This ordinance is the city’s budget for 2017 and calls for a total expenditure of $23,030,303.

A public hearing on the proposed budget will be conducted at 7 p.m. Sept. 6 in council chambers on the second floor of the municipal building, 227 N. Main St., New Castle. That hearing is open to the public. Interested persons should note that while the council usually meets on the first and third Monday of each month, the Sept. 6 meeting will take place on a Tuesday because Sept. 5 is Labor Day and the council doesn’t meet on major holidays.

The council also was expected to act on Ordinances 3752 through 3758. Those measures include the elected officials salary ordinance; the Department of Finance salary schedule; the administrative and management salary schedule; salaries for EMS, fire and police personnel; and the salary schedule for hourly employees.

However, those proposed ordinances were all tabled and the council did not act on them.

According to city clerk-treasurer Christy York, there were some minor language changes that needed to be made to the salary ordinances. They will be corrected and presented for the council’s consideration when the group next meets on Sept. 6.