A little something extra in city employees' Christmas stockings

City of Greencastle employees will find a little something extra in their proverbial Christmas stockings this year.

Coming to the end of a year marked by frugal spending, the City Council made like Santa Claus Tuesday night, voting to share some unspent 2011 salary allocations with city workers.

Because of a tight budget, along with the specter of unknown expenses and ever-increasing costs of things like gasoline and insurance, city employees went without a pay increase for 2011.

"Because our employees have worked prudently through their budgets this year, we have some well-deserved money left that we want to be able to share with them," Mayor Sue Murray said in introducing Ordinance 2011-4.

A Christmas bonus, in effect.

The ordinance, passed on first reading Tuesday and scheduled for adoption on second reading at a special 5:30 p.m. meeting Monday, Dec. 19, amends the 2011 Salary Ordinance that was passed in late 2010.

Under Ordinance 2011-4, each current city employee who has worked full-time since Jan. 1, 2011 will receive a one-time payment of $550 once the measure has been adopted on second reading.

Current city employees who are considered part-time or who have been hired full-time after Jan. 1, 2011 will receive a one-time payment of $275. Part-timers affected by the ordinance must work at least 20 hours per week, 12 months per year.

Crossing guards employed by the city will also be rewarded. They will receive a one-time payment of $50.

The salary increases do not affect the status of city employees' 2012 salaries.

Meanwhile, elected Greencastle officials are exempt from the pending pay increase.

In fact, earlier in the meeting, the Council adopted Ordinance 2011-3, fixing the salaries of all elected officials for 2012.

As has been the practice since 2008, elected city officials (Council, mayor, clerk-treasurer) will not be getting a pay increase in the coming year.