Street department seeks larger raises; council, administration point to budget limits and Senate Bill 1

Members of the Terre Haute street department pressed the City Council on Oct. 2 for larger pay increases, asking officials to move an offer of 6-5-5 percent across three years to 10-10-10. Council and administration officials said they had negotiated the highest feasible offer short of police and fire increases and said state law and budget limits constrained the city's options.

Mark Smith, identifying himself as a street department employee, told the council during public comment: "People have been here 10, 15 years. And with the small raises that we've been getting, we our paychecks hasn't changed. I bring home paychecks hasn't changed in 15 years." Smith said employees want a faster correction to stagnant take-home pay and asked the council to consider a 10-10-10 schedule, which Smith estimated would add about $70,000 to the current year's budget, roughly $100,000 in the following year and $115,000 in the subsequent year.

Administration and union negotiation status

City negotiators and the administration described why the current offer (6-5-5) was…