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Reporter's Notebook: Compensation overhaul in Carlisle’s budget
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Carlisle’s 2009 budget includes a complete overhaul of its compensation system for employees to address fairness, competitiveness and efficiency.
Borough Manager Steve Hietsch said Carlisle began revising its system this year by gathering market data on all its positions.
The goal is to make sure the system is both competitive to attract and retain quality employees and efficient to realize the most value for the dollar, Hietsch said.
The result would be an estimated $135,000 in savings, he said, much of which will be reinvested into initiatives to make compensation more equitable and competitive.
The proposals, as outlined in the budget message, include:
• Investing $55,748 for salary adjustments designed to address positions that are significantly under-market.
• Investing $10,216 to institute uniform shift differential pay at the sewer plant and police dispatch operations. Currently, shift differential is paid at the water plant and at a lower rate for dispatchers, but not at the sewer plant.
• Investing $6,289 to extend excess sick leave benefits to all employees. This benefit is currently available only to employees hired before Jan. 1, 2001. Under this benefit, employees are rewarded for not using sick leave.
Hietsch said the changes are designed to address inequities in the current system by making the benefit package more uniform for all classes of employees.
Employee compensation and benefits in the proposed 2009 budget total $9,028,519.
Reminder: Park hearing
The borough will convene a public hearing tonight to present a concept plan for the design of the linear park adjacent to Wellington Drive and Valley Meadows Park. The meeting will start at 7 p.m. at borough hall, 53. W. South St.
The proposed park budget is $373,000, including a $189,000 grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development, $75,000 from Exel Logistics, $42,800 from recreation area fee funds and $66,200 from the general fund.
Other projects
Other proposed capital items in the 2009 budget include:
• $946,282 for a screening/degritting system at the sewer plant ($446,282 from bond proceeds, $500,000 from sewer fund revenues).
• $34,050 to purchase a police patrol vehicle.
• $31,050 to purchase a Ford Expedition for a police K-9 unit. This includes a $12,000 from the G.B. Stuart Foundation.
• $25,000 to purchase a parks and recreation maintenance van.
• $23,840 to pave the public works garage.
• $10,670 to purchase a public works van.
Final adoption of the 2009 budget is scheduled for the Dec. 11 council meeting. Between now and then, the public may view the budget at the borough office during normal business hours.
Public comments or questions can be submitted to the manager’s office at 249-4422 or by e-mail at shietsch@carlislepa.org.
South Middleton School District news
At its regular meeting Monday, the board:
• Approved the budget for the Cumberland-Perry Vocational Technical School in the amount of $6,858,983 for the fiscal year 2009-10 and agreed to accept the district share of $354,319.
• Authorized the district administration to contract with Cumberland Valley Tree Service of Chambersburg to provide tree removal/tree trimming services throughout the district at a total cost of $3,013.
• Approved Karen Graybill as ninth-grade girls’ basketball coach at a salary of $2,244.
• Approved a request for a leave of absence from Rachel Zilbering, a math teacher at Boiling Springs High School, for a childrearing leave Feb. 5 through May 11.
Joe Cress covers Carlisle Borough, South Middleton School District and military affairs for The Sentinel. Heather Stauffer covers the Carlisle Area School District and will add information from that beat. You can read their Reporter’s Notebooks covering news and events in those beats every Tuesday. Joe can be reached at jcress@cumberlink.com
