News

August 8, 2008

Nanticoke council approves written agreements with two employees

City Council previously offered salaries and benefits with just a verbal agreement.

SHERRY LONG slong@timesleader.com

NANTICOKE – City council unanimously approved employment agreements for two employees during the Wednesday night meeting.

The agreements between the city and Holly Quinn, fiscal manager, and Joe Kordek, building inspector/code enforcement officer, detail the employees’ salaries, work descriptions and benefits.

Previously, the council hired employees and offered salaries and benefits with a verbal agreement.

Kordek, who was hired in October 2007, is paid $35,000 annually. Quinn earned the same amount in 2007, but her pay rose to $38,300 this year to include a $2,500 performance increment and $800 salary increase outlined in the city’s financial recovery plan.

The Pennsylvania Economy League, which serves as the city’s financial consultant, developed the plan that gives all employees an $800 pay increase this year and next year.

At the onset of their employment, according to the agreements, Kordek and Quinn received 10 days of vacation time. For every year they work they will receive 10 days of vacation that can be carried over to the next year, up to a maximum of 30 days, Mayor John Bushko said.

Quinn and Kordek will receive nine paid holidays, four personal days and may participate in the city’s non-uniformed pension plan, health insurance, sick leave/life and disability insurance plans and receive reimbursement for mileage and costs of attending job-related seminars or conferences.

The agreements will be in effect indefinitely for both employees.

Resident Teresa Sowa said she didn’t approve of the city using verbal agreements. She was the only resident to address the council on the issue.

“Anybody can say you said this or that, if it’s not in writing,” Sowa said. “Anybody can paint the picture into a totally different view. Once it’s documented on paper, there it sits.”

Sowa also said the negotiations should be conducted in public at open meetings, but the state allows municipalities to conduct personnel issues in closed meetings.

Councilman Brent Makarczyk said the city has made great strides.

“When you look at last year, there were a majority of the contracts signed where there was no public input or public vote. We are letting the public know what we are doing. We feel, as a majority, the agreements are fair to the employee and taxpayers,” Makarczyk said.

Sowa said the immediate vacation time was not proper.

“I don’t think that’s right for them or any employee that first starts a job. They don’t do that in any big corporation or anywhere else,” she said.

City Administrator Kenneth Johnson will meet with Police Chief James Cheshinski when the chief returns from vacation to negotiate his employment agreement.

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