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Council amends parks salary ordinance to permit seasonal front‑desk hires for pool amid procedural debate
Summary
The council voted to amend Salary Ordinance 2025-08 to remove a phrase restricting certain seasonal/extra hires from pool duties and to authorize pay at $11.50/hour for the positions; debate centered on whether hires require park-board approval and fairness to staff already hired.
The Princeton City Council on June 1 amended Salary Ordinance 2025-08 to remove wording limiting some seasonal/extra part‑time hires from performing pool work and to allow seasonal front‑desk/assistant manager positions to be paid $11.50 per hour.
Chair opened discussion after the mayor requested the change, and council members and park staff described staffing pressures at the pool and the need for more mature, reliable front‑desk workers. "We have an opportunity to hire a couple people at that rate for seasonal and part time work," the Chair said. Council members debated whether those hires required park‑board approval under local ordinance; one councilor cited Indiana Code 36‑10‑3 and said the park board is responsible for recommending employees to the city.
Several speakers argued the hires would improve safety and stability. One council member who said he had worked in parks for decades apologized publicly for past failures in handling a personnel-related matter and emphasized a desire to improve processes. Concerns were raised about fairness to employees already hired at lower pay and whether the hires had been approved properly by the park board.
After discussion and competing motions — including a motion to table — the council recorded the outcome as "2 ayes, 1 abstention, 1 nay" and announced the amendment carried. The transcript does not list each member's recorded name with the vote in the meeting text.
Council also discussed staffing and operational changes to keep the pool open this season, including revised rotations for lifeguards and using two pool managers. Members asked staff to coordinate with the park board and provide a list of hires and proposed salaries for formal approval.
Next steps: staff will present the recommended hires and salary language to the park board and return to council with any necessary ordinance language or confirmations.
