City administration realigned; salaries upped on 3-1 vote

    An ordinance that further realigns administrative positions in the Imperial city offices, merging duties across four employees, gained approval Monday night.
    Along with it came a new wage ordinance, too, that increases payroll costs significantly.
    The new wage ordinance altered one that was passed last month with the return of Tricia Moreno to the city office staff.
    The changes came about after Jo Leyland, the city’s Administrator/Clerk/Treasurer, announced late last year her retirement in early April.
    The new administrative offices are split as follows, with their new salaries:
    Tyler Pribbeno—Administrator/Community Development Director, $100,000.
    Sarah Hoskovec—City Clerk/Deputy Administrator, $80,000.
    Tricia Moreno—Deputy Clerk/Billing Clerk, $28/hr., $58,250 annually.
    Hillary Mundt—City Treasurer, $60,000.
    Monday’s ordinance provided for the first three positions above. The City Treasurer position was approved in an ordinance last month.
    Moreno returned Feb. 20 to the city office where she had previously worked.
    New 2022-23 salaries were approved last year to start Oct. 1, and when comparing all four current office positions to the four employed then, the salaries are up $31,330 annually.
    At that time Leyland, Pribbeno and Hoskovec received raises between 8-10%.
    If looking at salaries prior to the October increases, the are up $52,700.
    Those figures do not take into account a part-time office position the city approved in recent months who receives $12.50/hour or the return of Tami Ekart to help in the transition at $28/hour.
    Council President Doug Gaswick said there are no plans to add further office staff.
    He feels comfortable, he said Wednesday, with the current setup.
    “I’m anxious to see how the duties pan out with everyone,” he said.
    While she had deputies named among current staff before, Leyland held all three top administrative positions—Administrator, Clerk and Treasurer—herself.
    Before the changes, Pribbeno served as Community Development Director and Mundt had previously been employed at the Imperial Manor. Roxane Miller was in the office until recently when she resigned.
One no vote on salaries
    When it came to a vote on the salaries, as she did last month, council member Jan Elliott voted no.
    “I struggle with the wages we are paying,” she said, also acknowledging the city has good people working for it.
    Elliott said she called several businesses in town for comparison.
    “I know it’s hard to find employees and I’m sure they are dependable, but I struggle with the amount we are paying,” she said.
    She also questioned if Moreno’s salary started Feb. 20, why her salary approval came for a council vote this week.
    Pribbeno said it was because they hadn’t met since early in February. No meeting was held Feb. 20 due to President’s Day.
    On a question from Elliott, he said Moreno’s position was not advertised and they came up with her $28/hour wage to “entice her back.”
    In the ordinance approved in February splitting the duties, Pribbeno was also named Deputy Clerk as part of his duties. Moreno now has the Deputy Clerk title.
    Elliott asked whether that recent shift of duties would mean a change in Pribbeno’s salary.
    “He was doing too much already for what he was being paid,” Mayor Craig Loeffler said.
    “That’s why we asked her (Moreno) to take the clerk part over,” he said.
    Pribbeno’s salary was not adjusted, according to the discussion.
    On the wage ordinance, it was a 3-1 vote with Elliott dissenting. Gaswick, Nick Colton and John Miller voted yes.
    At previous meetings, Gaswick and others stated Leyland was underpaid for all the duties she handled, a reason for the overall increase in salaries covering her position.
    At the start of the meeting, city officials formally presented awards to the 2023 Imperial Outstanding Citizens.
    Chelsea Zuege and Mason Tyerman were announced in January as the council’s selection for the awards that started 8 years ago.
    Zuege was the adult winner for nominees 19 and older while Tyerman represents the city’s young adult winner.
    Watch next week’s issue for more on the March 6 meeting.