NU City Council approves raises for city staff

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM--Full-time, non-union city employees got their pay raises as the New Ulm City Council moved smartly through a 35-minute regular meeting session Tuesday night.

The city employees will receive basically 3 percent increases, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2002. Their increases are consistent with the increases in the final year of the three unions' three-year contracts, City Manager Brian Gramentz explained.

At the bottom of the pay scale, a clerk-typist position range goes from $23,940.80-$29,556.80 range in 2001 to $24,835.20-$30,451.20 in 2002. At the top, Gramentz' salary increases from $87,500 to $90,126.40.

Three positions, all in the Engineering Department, will receive an additional 2 percent increase in order to retain qualified employees and for the city to be more competitive in recruitment, Gramentz said.

The council also approved an increase in the annual maximum employer paid benefit formula. In the past, it was calculated as 25 percent of the first $1,600 contributed by the employee, or $400; now it will be figured as 25 percent of the first $1,800 contributed, or $450.

The top nine positions in the city administration will paid $50,000 or more, representing no change in number from 2001. In descending order, they are the City Manager, City Engineer, Finance Director/City Clerk-Treasurer, Street Commissioner, Park & Recreation Director, Police Chief, Police Commander, Assistant City Engineer and Community Development Director.

In answer to a question from Councilor Clark Tuttle, Gramentz said one union contract ended Dec. 31, 2001, and the other two contracts end Dec. 31, 2002. Gramentz felt it was better they all not expire at the same time because of the work involved in negotiating contracts.

A petition by Paul and Lori Stueber to vacate the easterly 90 feet of 19th South Street was challenged by Tuttle because there might be possible need for it in the future as the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad expansion plans unfold.

"It certainly won't be now, and it may be 10, 15 or 20 years down the road," Tuttle said. "But I don't think the city should vacate it."

He noted that, in a similar situation on 19th South, the city had a license agreement with District 88, allowing the district to use a portion of the right-of-way for school-related purposes.

Paul Stueber told the council they planned to erect a pole building but would not object to a similar agreement, even though he would then have to apply for a variance in order to build the building. The council approved the license agreement.

In other action, the council:

*Approved the appointment of Duane Lambrecht to the Police Commission.

*Approved a new lease of hangar space at the municipal airport to the Department of Natural Resources.

*Ordered in construction of a residential pavement section on the alley in Block 7 south of Center Street.

*Authorized the City Manager to sell a used motor grader that has outlived its usefulness. Said Councilor Ron Fleischmann: "Since this grader was built when I was in the sixth grade, I'll be happy to offer the motion to get rid of it."