City council approved amendments before it approved the 2023 budget during last Tuesday’s meeting.
One of these was the increase of the code enforcement supervisor’s salary from $45,000 to $60,000.
This would put the position in the range of the public works director, who makes $62,080.67 a year.
Under Home Rule charter, incoming Administrator Chris Frye would serve as the city’s director of the code enforcement and the department of community and economic development departments.
Frye would then look to appoint, with council’s approval, a working supervisor of code enforcement who would be the “boots on the ground” leader who supervises the other code officers.
Shawn Anderson was both the code enforcement and DCED director until his resignation at the end of September.
Council decreased the salary of the building inspector from $25,053.60 to $18,700, who would work 20 hours a week.
Council also added another $27,040 to the code enforcement budget in order to hire another code enforcement officer.
A patrolman position was eliminated from the New Castle Police Department, decreasing the budget by $66,665 in salary.
For the administrative office, the administrative assistant salary was increased from $4,500 to $39,353.
This was due to there no longer being an administrative assistant in the mayor’s office due to the mayor’s role being largely ceremonial as the president of city council.
The EMC coordinator salary was increased from $3,500 to $5,500.
Council increased the budget for the department of community and economic development from $20,400 to $63,900.
This was done to get more investment into economic development, as well as to hire a Main Street manager to promote downtown New Castle to residents and potential business owners, and promote annual events in the city.
Council did not agree to pay $16,700 in hospitalization benefits for the position.
That money was sent, for budget balancing purposes, as a council expense, which can be used as a budget transfer next year.
At the city-owned Sylvan Heights Golf Course, the amount for part-time clubhouse and grounds workers was decreased to $32,000 from $40,000, with the amount for concession stand supplies increased to $38,000 from $30,000.
Public Works Director Brian Heichel said this was done to not hire as many part-time workers during the summer, but to give the existing workers more hours during the week.
nvercilla@ncnewsonline.com
