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Hefty Raises for City Workers in Michigan City

(Michigan City, IN) - Good-sized pay increases have been given to city employees in Michigan City.

 

The Michigan City Common Council, by a 6-3 vote, granted final approval to the 2022 salary ordinance on Tuesday night. 

 

City employees are receiving an increase of about $4 an hour. So, for example, workers making about $18 per hour will see their pay go above $22 per hour. The increase given to city employees was exactly what the mayor recommended under a study that revealed their wages were far below city employees in surrounding communities.

 

Raises given to department heads were below what Mayor Duane Parry sought under the findings of the study. However, department heads will still see their paychecks go up by anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 per year, said City Councilman Paul Pryzbylinski.

 

Parry told the council the money is available to go as high as he requested with department head salaries for 2022. However, Councilwoman Angie Nelson Deutisch said she felt it was best to be careful with city finances if some unexpected costs are incurred next year.

 

“We’ve been talking about doom and gloom for the last two years. I'm just finding it interesting that now we do have a rosy forecast but anything could happen and COVID is not gone,” she said.

Some council members were upset that the police chief was given a more significant raise than the fire chief; positions usually kept similar in municipal budgets. 

 

Pryzbylinski noted that about $140,000 was cut from the salary amounts the mayor proposed for department heads.

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