NIAGARA FALLS — The head of the city’s Public Works Department has asked lawmakers to approve a re-organization plan that would result in pay increases for him, his deputy and several other staffers.

Public Works Director Dave Kinney’s proposal includes a request for a $4,000 bump in his annual salary, from $63,056 to $67,056. It also calls for Deputy Director John Caso to receive a $2,800 raise, from his current salary of $55,000 to $57,800.

A total of 10 other staffers would be in line for pay hikes under the plan. Their increases are the result of them receiving position upgrades that come with increased compensation for added duties. In total, the plan would add $36,001.48 to the department’s budget, including $30,172.24 in wages and $5,829.24 in FICA tax, life insurance and pension cost. 

Kinney said the move was driven primarily by two factors — the increased workload in his department and a higher level of sophistication that is now required of some of his staffers.

“We are asking people to do more than they did before,” Kinney said. “We’re asking them to take on more responsibility.”

Kinney defended his own salary increase and that of his deputy as appropriate based on the workload involved and salaries being paid to individuals holding similar positions in other communities that are about the size of Niagara Falls. Kinney noted that he oversees more than 40 different segments of the city’s parks and public works operations, including forestry, trades, sidewalks, street reconstruction and snow plowing. He said Caso has seen his workload increase as well in recent months as the city has been more aggressive in working on parks and public works projects.

Kinney said the new administrative salary figures were determined based on a review of salaries for similar positions in communities like Niagara Falls. He said his review showed the average top administrator earns about $82,000 per year, with deputies commanding, on average, $68,000 annually. In Caso’s case, Kinney said there are employees working under him in the department who earn more than he does when overtime is factored in.

The other personnel moves are based on a need to re-position people within the department to perform different duties, according to Kinney. The proposal calls for a principal clerk’s position to be upgraded to an administrative assistant position at an increase in pay of $3,668. An assistant foreman in the streets department would be upgraded to a foreman at a $1,780 increase. Three senior auto mechanics would be named senior automotive technicians at an added salary cost of $7,538. Five automotive mechanics would be upgraded to auto technicians for a total increase of $10,384.

Kinney believes all of the changes are warranted given the amount of work and the type of jobs his department is being asked to do. For example, he said it was necessary to upgrade the assistant foreman to the title of foreman in the streets department to better address the high volume of road repair projects that are being done by the city. He noted that the city performed work on 34 street projects and 21 mill and overlay jobs last year and the number is expected to increase in 2010. As for upgrading mechanics and senior mechanics to technicians and senior technicians, Kinney said newer equipment, like the asphalt zipper, for example, require a higher level of expertise to repair and maintain.

“They are doing more jobs and they are doing some sophisticated work,” Kinney said.

The DPW re-organization proposal will be considered by the city council on Monday.

Mayor Paul Dyster is supportive of the proposal, saying it was originally discussed with lawmakers last fall. Ultimately, he said, it was decided that it should wait at least until the release of this year’s capital improvement plan. That list of projects is also up for council consideration on Monday. Dyster noted that many of the projects in the $9.52 million plan involve work performed by the DPW department, including $2.4 million in in-house paving work.

“These are modest increases,” Dyster said of the proposed salary hikes. “They were reflective of what’s being done in our department of public works.”

Overall, Kinney said he believes his department has done a good job of meeting the public’s demands, especially in the areas of street repair and snow-plowing. He said the success is due to the employees who have done the work and will continue to do the work in the coming months.

“We are making progress in what we are doing,” he said. “This is all due because of the people working for the leaders that they have.”