By Rusty Nixon Correspondent
PLYMOUTH — Salaries for city employees will spend a little more time in discussion as ordinances setting the rates for the 2009 budget year were turned down by the Plymouth Common Council.
The Plymouth City Administration proposed a 3-percent increase for all city employees for the coming year, which came under question by several councilmen.

“I’ve watched this for nine years now and each year we are giving a percentage increase across the board,” said Councilman Chuck Ripley. “Each time the top gets further from the bottom. I’m not against giving city em-ployees a raise, but if we’re going to give them a raise, why not give them all the same dollar amount?”
Ripley pointed out figures that showed that city department heads — over the past eight years — have received raises that total $10,854. In the same time frame, regular employee raises have totaled around $6,344.
Councilman Wayne Smith pointed out that department heads don’t receive overtime and that in his time as a department head (fire chief), he had several employees that made nearly as much money a year as he had without the added responsibility of the job.
Councilman Mark Neidig shared Ripley’s concern over an “equitable” raise and also expressed concern over the uncertainty caused by the new state tax reform and the effect that it will have on revenue available to the city. He also questioned the addition in the budget of a new position of plan director and grant administrator at $42,000 and the expense involved.
City Attorney Nelson Chipman explained the salary ordinance was the foundation of the budget — making up 55 percent — and the pay increase would cost the city $75,000 —  or around $675 per employee.
Clerk-Treasurer Toni Hutchings said preliminary work on the budget indicated that for the coming year, the revenues and expenditures of the city would match.
Ripley, Neidig and Councilman Mike Delp voted against the ordinance. A new version will have to be prepared and submitted to the council. If no new ordinance is agreed upon, salaries will remain the same for the coming year. The council will meet in a budget work session on Aug. 4.
A similar ordinance setting the salaries of elected officials in the city for the coming year was presented to the council, but no action will be taken until the Common Council’s meeting Aug. 25.
Later in Monday night’s meeting, former Plymouth Mayor Gary Cook addressed current Mayor Mark Senter, asking “…Do you think you deserve a raise in pay, when you already make $50,000 a year and many of your constituents are losing their jobs?”
Cook asked if he was going to receive and answer, to which Senter replied simply, “No.”
In other action:
• The council voted to pursue information on the cost to the city of outsourcing garbage pickup to a private contractor. The council voted merely to gather information on the cost and possibility with no action on the matter pending.
• The Plymouth Park Department has applied for a $1-million grant for transportation enhancement from the Indiana Department of Transportation to help with Phase II of the Greenway’s Trail project.