Wages for Bradford City workers for 2020 were approved by council on first reading Tuesday night.
Starting with the governing body, the salaries for the mayor and councilmen will remain the same: $10,000 annually for the mayor and $5,000 for each councilman and the city controller, Ron Orris.
All city employees were given percentage raises, as agreed to in labor contracts with the city.
In administration, Chris Lucco’s salary as city administrator will be $82,000, but with a caveat. Mayor Tom Riel explained, because Lucco is leaving the police department before retirement age, his uniformed pension is effectively frozen. He cannot earn two pensions from the city government, and he cannot move his police pension to the non-uniformed pension plan. So to make up for the annual loss of about $8,000 in his pension, his salary has been adjusted to provide compensation for him to invest in a private retirement plan.
“His overall cost to the City of Bradford will be less than what the current city administrator is now, primarily because we don’t have the pension obligation,” Riel explained. “It might look like it is more, but the annual cost is significantly less.”
Current administrator Teri Cannon is retiring in January.
Riel explained that Lucco had been making a total of about $87,000 prior to that — about $72,000 as chief and about $15,000 as director of personnel and purchasing. The duties of personnel and purchasing will be combined with the city administrator’s position, and he will no longer collect an additional salary for it.
“So it is a huge savings to the city,” Riel said. “You aren’t paying a second person to do the job of personnel and purchasing. And Lucco is actually taking a pay cut to make the move.”
Also in administration, Elaina Lucco, fiscal assistant and payroll clerk, will earn $39,239.50. Human resources director Valerie Figula will earn $37,247.35. Four receptionists and assistants will earn from $30,239.50 to $36,465.97. Each salary shows an increase of $936.
In the treasurer’s office, Karen Hector will earn $50,400, an increase of $2,400. Three tellers/clerks will earn from $27,239.50 to $32,883.50, each with an increase of $936.
In the fire department, Chief Eric Taylor will earn $70,688.20, an increase of $1,803.37.
Three captains will earn from $62,577.26 to $62,927.66, increases of $1,537.57 to $1,537.97.
One firefighter/paramedic/ assistant EMS coordinator will earn $62,567.26, an increase of $1,537.57. Three lieutenants will earn from $60,327.26 to $60,937.26. Six firefighters/paramedics will earn from $57,067.26 to $59,087.26. Five firefighters/EMTs will earn from $49,389.53 to $55,787.26, while one firefighter paramedic will earn $51,579.53.
In the police department, the William Hanley Lodge #67 is currently in contract negotiations with the city, and the police wages for 2020 have yet to be set.
Chip Comilla, director of parks and public works, will earn $73,737.60 — a salary of $29,495.04 from the refuse department, $22,121.28 from streets and $22,121.28 from parks. It is a total increase of $1,673.37.
In the refuse division, workers will earn from $14.98 an hour to $22.68 an hour. In the streets division, workers will earn from $21.06 an hour to $23.33 an hour. In the parks department, three laborers will earn from $16.58 an hour to $22.49 an hour.
City electrician Dan Tyger will earn $41,697.20, an increase of $1,300.
In the property maintenance department, officers Kevin Huff and Mark Smith will each earn $39,733, an increase of $936. Huff, as the department’s director, will earn an additional $4,764.
The Office of Economic and Community Development is a self-sustaining agency, the wages for which do not come from the city’s tax dollars.
The wages for the OECD for 2020 are as follows: Executive Director Sara Andrews, $90,441, an increase of $2,206; Jeff Andrews, construction inspector, is slated at $58,695, but the wage ordinance noted that he is retiring. Anita Dolan, economic community development and Main Street manager, will earn $40,787, an increase of $995.
Salaries for the Sanitary Authority are included on the wage ordinance, with a note that said the wages are pending approval of that authority’s contract and budget.
Executive Director Rick Brocius will earn $109,108. Office manager Karla Leone will earn $62,347.72. Sanitation operations manager Barry Anderson will earn $68,384.
A field crew manager is slated to earn $70,000.
