Hartley council raises salaries, wages

Despite a contentious discussion, City of Hartley employees will get a raise this year.

The council voted 4-1 on June 24 to raise salaries and wages by 2.75 percent. Council Member Mary Westphalen cast the lone dissention due to concerns about certain benefits for the city's salaried employees.

Under the new deal, the city administrator, police chief and superintendent of public works will get three weeks of paid vacation and 24 working hours of paid personal leave once they complete two years of employment with the city.

"To have that happening in two years, that's just crazy," Westphalen said. "We're spending thousands of dollars on salaries already. I just think it's a slap in the face to people who've been here 15-20 years for somebody to get it in two."

Council Member Ron Hengeveld said the city needed to stay competitive to retain good employees.

"They can go somewhere else and get it. We don't keep up with wages," he said. "Times are changing."

Westphalen believed salaried employees should be required to meet longer tenure thresholds before getting paid vacation and personal leave increases.

"What incentive are we giving some employees to go after a grade upgrade?" she asked. "We'll just give it to you anyway."

Westphalen was also uncomfortable giving city employees a 2.75 percent wage when many people are facing workplace uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Employees are our biggest asset to this community. Without them, nothing runs," said Superintendent of Public Works Jaron Benz. "We need to be competitive to treat the employees well. This isn't just a knee-jerk reaction that we're just going to do this."

Council Member Brian Myers noted that good applicants are hard to find once a position becomes open. Recently, the city received only three applications for an open lineman position and had to hire someone who was still finishing his degree.

"We're just not getting the applicants," Myers said. "If you don't train them for five years, you're going to lose them if you don't treat them right."

Westphalen pushed back, and claimed she's received complaints from residents about certain city employees.

"The pay gets greater and the expectations get lower," she said.

Ultimately, the council passed the wage and salary increases after discussion cooled off.

"If you don't give them a decent wage, they're going to go somewhere else," Hengeveld said. "You want to keep that employee so we don't have that turn around so we're not going to be looking for this person and that person."

• Pitbull ban lifted

The council also lifted a longstanding ban on pit bulls during the special meeting. According to previous discussion, the bans aren't enforceable because they don't hold up in court.

Megan Hoger, who is in the process of purchasing a house in Hartley, approached the council last month about removing the ordinance banning pit bulls from city limits. Hoger and her boyfriend own a pit bull, but they were unaware local rules deemed the breed vicious when they made an offer on their future home.

Council Member Jerry Olson said he received some concerns from a resident about lifting the ban, but ultimately the council voted unanimously to erase it from city code.