SYLVANIA TOWNSHIP, OH (Toledo News Now) -
A debate over pay raises continues in Sylvania Township.
Township administrator Jon Zeitler drew up a plan to give 18 non-union workers a 1.5 percent pay raise. The union employees already received raises.
Trustee Kevin Haddad claims Zeitler was trying to "sneak in" a vote at a planned meeting. Haddad said he won't agree to a vote until he hears Governor Kasich's budget plan. He wants to know the governor's plans to reinstate taxes that benefit townships before he supports the pay raises.
Trustee John Jennewine said he's disappointed Haddad went "public" with his concerns instead of discussing them with fellow trustees.
At times during the board's Tuesday meeting, confrontations between Haddad and Trustees
John Jennewine and Neal Mahoney got heated.
"What I'm still saying,
but as Mr. Mahoney is cutting me off again, but that's okay," Haddad said
during the meeting.
Chairman Jennewine said the non-union
employees deserve the pay raise to coincide with the pay raises
union employees have received, but after opinions differed and tempers flared,
the raises are off the table.
After the meeting,
Jennewine said he was disappointed in the way Haddad handled the situation.
"Disappointing. Again, you
might not agree with what's being said, but at least let's have the discussion,"
Jennewine said. "So we're just kind of frustrated because he's not even
allowing us to do that and in the meantime, there are very valuable employees
here who are kind of hanging in the balance."
Haddad was pleased,
however, that the pay raise resolution is on hold for the time being, while the
township awaits state budget and funding numbers.
"I am very worried about
where we are fiscally, because if we get the revenue declines that we're supposed
to get, which could be a $2 million decline, we're not going to be able to
survive and we would be out of saving in less than two years," he said. "We're
going to cut pay and we're reducing hours, but yet you want to give everyone
else a raise? It's not justifiable. It's stupid to me."
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