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Sunbury City Council approves shift of code officer to full‑time, rejects some pay increases
Summary
Council voted to move a code‑office employee from 32 to 40 hours and debated several pay proposals; a $20/hour raise for Joe Swope failed, a bid to promote a supervisor resulted in a tie, and council agreed to convert a summer hire to part‑time through year‑end.
The Sunbury City Council on Nov. 8 approved converting a code‑office employee from part‑time (32 hours) to full‑time (40 hours) but split on several other compensation proposals for code staff.
During public comment, resident Victoria Rosencrantz asked council to “please... discuss the salary now, when does it start, and give us as much information,” saying the changes represented “a lot of change.” Council members said the raises aim to keep experienced code officers from leaving to higher‑paying neighboring municipalities; the presiding officer noted some long‑time employees were paid as little as $16.50 per hour despite years of service.
Council member Rumbaugh moved to raise Joe Swope to $20 per hour, saying, “I make a motion to, for a salary increase to Joe Swope to $20 per hour.” That motion was seconded but did not pass. Separately, council approved a motion to move Lisa Herb from 32 to 40 hours and explicitly recorded that no health insurance benefits would be required as part of that change. A subsequent motion to promote Herb to supervisor failed on a tie vote and did not carry.
Council also approved converting a temporary summer hire to part‑time at the same pay rate through the end of the year. A motion to raise Jennifer Buchanan to $22 per hour was moved and discussed; the transcript records debate and mixed votes but does not clearly record a final, named outcome in the available segment.
Council members and members of the public pressed for clarity about training that would support permanent raises; councilors said departments generally maintain training line items in their budgets and that training occurs throughout the year. Jeff, a city staffer, told the council the city performs about 800 rental inspections annually — a volume cited as part of the rationale for strengthening code staffing.
What happens next: Council did not adopt across‑the‑board pay increases at Nov. 8’s meeting; specific salary outcomes remain as recorded above and any unsettled motions may return to a future agenda.
