Three to share duties of city’s top position

    At a lengthy, four-hour meeting Monday, the city council and mayor tackled a lot of issues and concerns.
    With the impending early April retirement of Administrator/Clerk/Treasurer Jo Leyland, one agenda item was a major change in the city’s administrative offices.
    In three separate actions, the council separated administrative jobs, named the three people to Leyland’s positions and set salaries.
    While Leyland performs all of the tasks of Administrator, Clerk and Treasurer, with a Deputy Clerk/Treasurer, three people will now perform those duties.
    Two of them already work in the city office, and a third is a new hire.
    Tyler Pribbeno, now the city’s Community Development Director, was named Administrator/Community Development Director/Deputy Clerk.
    Sarah Hoskovec, now Deputy Clerk/Treasurer, will hold the office of City Clerk/Deputy Administrator.
    Hillary Mundt was named City Treasurer. She previously worked as business office manager at Imperial Manor.
    While the resolution and ordinance approving the changes in the offices and who will fill them passed 4-0, there was long discussion on their salaries.
    Pribbeno will earn $100,000, Hoskovec $80,000 and Mundt $60,000.
    Mayor Craig Loeffler said the difference in what the three will earn compared to Leyland’s current salary of $99,610 will be an additional $15,000 annually.
    New salaries for two of the hires began Monday this week.
    Leyland will also continue to be paid until the April transition as she will be training the three.
    That will add an estimated $16,000 in administrative salaries for the two months, Mayor Loeffler said.
    The vote on the salaries, while passing, was not unanimous.
    Jan Elliott voted against the wage ordinance in the 3-1 vote.
    Elliott said she was concerned with the lack of time given the council to study the salaries and make comparisons with other communities.
    She received her meeting agenda packet on Friday night.
    She also questioned the salaries of the new positions based on the new hires’ experience.
    “I just have concerns. There’s a lot to learn, a lot,” she said.
    “And, I struggle with the wages after we gave a 10% wage increase. I think it’s going to be very difficult to answer questions if you vote for this,” she said.
    The 10% average increase last fall at budget time “was really tough to swallow and now we’re adding more on to it,” she said.
    “I think our wages get out of line and I would need more time to investigate and understand,” she said.
    Elliott said Tuesday her 10% reference was an average of pay increases given all administrative positions and other city employees at budget time last fall.
    She suggested tabling the wages.
    Leyland said when she submits Imperial’s  wages for use in statewide wage surveys, she figures its full-time administrative positions work 50 hours a week.
    When comparing Imperial to other communities and their salaries, what Imperial as a community provides should be considered, she added.
    “Imperial has a lot more than any other city I know of,” she said.
    She noted the city has its own nursing home, electrical distribution system, theatre and trash service that some others do not.
    Responding to the comparison of current and new salaries for Pribbeno and Hoskovec, Leyland noted both of them will have more responsibilities than they have now.
    Council President Doug Gaswick said to hire one person to do the jobs Leyland does now would take more than the extra $15,000 they’ll be paying with the three new hires.
    He and Loeffler also supported hiring from within if possible due to stability and their knowledge of the city.
    “I think all three people we are recommending are well worth what we’ll pay them,” Leyland said.
    In addition to their salaries, the positions have a benefit package of about $2,500 each month, Leyland said.
    Elliott asked Gaswick if he’s ever given 10% raises to employees in the private sector. He and fellow council member Nick Colton both said yes.
    Mundt won’t start getting paid until she starts Feb. 13, which is in the middle of a pay period. Leyalnd said she will get half of her salary the first time and then get her full salary after that.
    Pribbeno and Hoskovec will start their new salaries this week. Mayor Loeffler wanted their new salaries to start Feb. 6 since they have started training for their new positions.
    The city advertised the position(s) in the local newspaper, Facebook and with the NE League of Municipalities.
    The city used a salary survey, salaries in area communities and comparisons with other positions such as hospital administrator and school superintendent in setting the three salaries, Leyland said.
    Two out-of-town applications were received with the local ones.