The exterior of Bartholomew County Courthouse in Columbus, Ind., pictured, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016. Mike Wolanin | The Republic
COLUMBUS, Ind. — The first formal vote about whether to raise the salaries of 218 Bartholomew County employees up to the average or middle-ground pay of those doing the same jobs in other counties failed Tuesday night, stalling on a tie.
Three members of the Bartholomew County Council, Mark Gorbett, Scott Bonnell and Jorge Morales, voted to increase the salaries of almost half of all county employees up to the external midpoint salaries outlined in a study by consultant Kent Irwin.
But council President Greg Duke, as well as members Evelyn Pence and Bill Lentz , voted against the proposal.
With council member Matt Miller absent, Tuesday’s 3-3 tie vote means the proposal is only stalled for the moment, Gorbett said.
“I don’t want employees thinking this is dead,” said Gorbett. “The council sometimes takes time to get the people to the water to drink it.”
However, if another vote is taken in May or June, it’s likely Miller will vote against the raises, Morales said. He based that statement on the fact that Miller initiated an intense verbal confrontation with Irwin when the study was initially presented in late February.
The county, which employs over 400 employees, has already lost 22 employees so far this year. In 2021, the total was 70 employees. Irwin said administrators told him that “low employee pay is having a detrimental impact on their ability to hire and keep quality employees.”
For the complete story, see Thursday’s Republic.
