Democrats call for Mayor Ballard to rescind raises - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Marion County Democrats called on Mayor Greg Ballard to rescind what they're calling secret raises issued to top administrators three months ago.

Councillor Brian Mahern called the raises "unacceptable" and said it was "an issue of timing and sensitivity."

In one year, 14 employees at the mayor's office averaged an 17-percent raise. In the case of certain deputy mayors, it was as high as 30 percent. It also included an increase in retirement benefits.

"Councillor Mahern's focus would be better served on creating jobs and economic development. He's blocking thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in development in the city while politically grandstanding," said mayoral spokesman Marc Lotter, referring to Mahern's committee that is studying TIF (tax increment financing) districts.

The City-County Council does not legally need to be notified about personnel pay increases. On Monday, council Democrats called for the rules to be changed so that the council would be notified about any pay raises that exceeded ten percent.

The raises cost roughly $900,000. The Democrats who spoke Monday vowed to reduce the city budget by that amount to void the raises. They also said it was an irresponsible move with the unemployment rate in Marion County still hovering around nine percent.

Councillor Pam Hickman said it was a "typical example of corporate greed where the people at the top decide they need a raise and no one else does."

The mayor's office says they were able to provide the raises through attrition and staff adjustments, and that the raises did not increase the budget for this year or next year. Lotter also says the higher pay will keep the office competitive as an employer.

But news of the raises has not been sitting well with the Fraternal Order of Police, which has told Eyewitness News that the FOP is "very concerned" that the mayor didn't put the extra cash back into the general fund. In 2013, the city faces a $27 million budget gap for public safety alone.

Over the past two years, police and fire personnel have received a total of one percent in pay raises. They are due for a three-percent raise in 2013. IPS teachers haven't had a raise since 2009.