ELYRIA — In a year where city officials will likely ask residents to approve an income tax increase, the city’s top three elected officials are enjoying a bump in their pay — an increase City Council voted to give them in 2007.

Effective Jan. 1, Mayor Bill Grace, the second-highest salaried city employee in 2009, saw his base salary increase from $96,950 to $99,400. The base salary of Law Director Terry “Pete” Shilling went from $91,800 to $94,100 while the salary of city Auditor Ted Pileski rose from $86,700 to $88,900.

John Farrow, deputy auditor, said the pay of the mayor, law director and auditor is set by City Council prior to the start of a new term and cannot be altered midterm by anyone.

The last time such an ordinance was passed was in 2007, and it covered pay years 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
They can’t legally take a pay cut, but they can voluntarily give back the money, which is what they did last year and plan to do on a smaller scale this year.

Grace, who in 2009 gave more than $5,000 through a payroll deduction to the Cascade Endowment Fund, said he will not give as much this year.

“The goal last year was to set a tone and hopefully get the rank-and-file employees to do similar and that didn’t happen,” he said.

He said he will largely take his increase as it stands.

He understands it may not sit well with taxpayers, but he said he believes an increase is warranted after working for years without a pay increase.

“Two out of the last four years there has been no increase as far as my income is concerned,” he said. “I am just one of 450 employees in the city that are paid what we are paid.”

So far, Grace and Shilling have returned to the city $310 and $200, respectively. Pileski, who wrote a check for $1,575 in 2009, has not given back to the city as of Tuesday, but he said recently that he plans to write another check to the general fund to cover the raise.

Pileski was on vacation and couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday.

Contact Lisa Roberson at 329-7121 or lroberson@chroniclet.com.