On the heels of a budget hearing Wednesday night, the Porter County Council voted 5 to 2 Friday night to give all county employees a 3% raise, except for E911 staff who were approved Wednesday for an even larger raise to help shrink the gap with the private sector and improve retention.
The final reading of the budget has been pushed off to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 22, to give the auditor’s office time to adjust department budgets to reflect the raises. When the council adjourned Wednesday the general fund was $586,000 under budget.
Councilman Andy Bozak, R-At-large, foreshadowed the Friday vote on raises by asking, “So just in a perfect world, that’s a 1% raise, correct?”
Chief Deputy Auditor Ryan Kubal explained that every 1% raise for county employees would cost $500,000 and Auditor Karen Martin gave some words of caution.
“When you give a percentage rate on the salary you’ve locked yourself into that for next year,” she said. However, if a stipend were given instead, it wouldn’t go into the salary, come out of the general fund, or be in perpetuity.
The majority of the council didn’t feel that was the answer, nor was anyone rallying around President Mike Brickner, R-At-Large, in his repeated attempts to explore the idea of increasing longevity bonuses to employees for years worked as an alternative to a raise.
“We all support our employees. Raises are one way to show that,” Brickner said.
“Our general fund is not really going to be able to sustain over the long term the growth of our county, the needs of our employees,” Brickner added.
He referred to a raise as playing a shell game with the taxpayers’ money and Vice President Red Stone, R-1st, said he was doubtful the Porter County Foundation would have unanimously agreed to increase its draw from the interest earned on the sale of the county hospital to 5% if it had known the money was going to be used for raises.
Councilman Jeremy Rivas, D-2nd, made a motion to give a 3% raise to all employees.
Brickner spoke of $1 million that needs to be repaid to the Cumulative Bridge Fund, the looming Willowcreek Road project, and what he considers budgeting successes for 2025 such as fully funding the employee health insurance and necessary IT upgrades, as well as buying several badly-needed vehicles.
“I just don’t know how we can go and not give some kind of increases when people are hurting,” Bozak said, addressing Brickner. “We’ve done increases every year. We’ve taken care of our people and now that you’re president you don’t want to. Not fair.”
Rivas pushed back on the foundation having a problem using additional funds for raises. The foundation board, which approved increasing the interest draw, is comprised of the county council and the board of commissioners.
“Nobody even mentioned what we were going to do with the extra money,” he said. “Not one person.”
Councilman Greg Simms, D-3rd, seconded the motion and Kubal told the group it was making a huge mistake. Bozak added that the council has always been smart about moving money around. “That’s how we’ve always operated,” he said.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Brickner replied.
“I’ve done it for a long time. A lot longer than you,” Bozak retorted. “I’m not a rookie.”
Councilwoman Sylvia Graham, D-At-Large, brought up the wage study the county funded a few years ago.
“If we do not give any raises, in my opinion, our employees are losing their cost of living increase and we’re right back where we started,” she said, adding that never in the past has the council been lectured as it was this time around by the auditor’s office.
“Then spend it all, Sylvia,” Kubal replied.
When roll call on the vote was taken Vasquez hesitated and gave a short speech before voting in favor. “Every year Social Security gets a raise,” he said. “I’ve been praying hard on this.”
Brickner and Stone voted nay and everyone else in favor of the raise.
“For the record, we’re all county taxpayers and it’s all going to come to a head,” Brickner said. “I don’t believe we’re all wrong.”
Rivas made a motion to adjourn, saying he wasn’t going to sit through any more speeches from Brickner, and left the room following the auditor and her staff who had already done so.
During public comment, Valparaiso resident Dawn Miller pointed out that a 3% raise will be eaten up by county employees’ health insurance being moved to a high deductible plan.
Martin reentered the chamber and addressed the council from the microphone used by the public. With her voice breaking she thanked the council for their work but said the interplay was a disappointment.
“It haunts me because we’re supposed to be working for the county as a whole,” Martin said.
Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
