Elyria Council approves new pay scale, raises for management employees

ELYRIA — City Council voted Monday to overhaul the salary scale of the city's management level employees and provide raises to some of those same employees. The vote was to implement most of the recommendations of a salary study conducted by Gallagher Benefit Services, which was completed in late September. The study focused on the city's 88 non-union management employees, called Chapter 165 employees. The recommended raises the city will implement would apply to only a few of the city's Chapter 165 employees, but Finance Director Ted Pileski has said the total cost of implementing the recommended raises for 2026 would be $504,902.30. He said in a committee meeting last month that about $181,000 of that amount would come out of the city's general fund, while the rest would be spread across various grants and other municipal funds. The raises were determined through Gallagher comparing all of the city's Chapter 165 positions to similar roles in governmental entities across northern Ohio to determine their market value. Gallagher recommended that the city simplify its pay structure by grouping the 88 employees into 16 categories, called pay grades, which would each have 12 steps of annual pay increases. The raises approved by City Council on Monday were designed to bring a few employees, whom Gallagher said were paid below their market value, into their recommended pay scale. City officials have noted the cost of the increase, but argued that for the city to maintain its current staff and attract new employees it needed to properly pay the value of its management positions. "If employees are paid fairly and competitively, they are happier, more productive and it improves service to our residents," Elyria Human Resources Director Jean Yousefi said at a meeting of Council's Finance Committee last week. "There is a reduced legal risk when there is a reduced number of complaints and grievances that happen. … This is an investment, it is stability and consistency." One aspect of the legislation approved Monday that did not match the recommendations made by Gallagher was the raise given to Fire Chief Joe Pronesti. Pronesti would have been the recipient of one of the largest raises suggested by Gallagher, which argued he was paid far below what other area fire chiefs make, but he agreed to take a smaller raise ahead of his retirement, which is expected to come early next year. Rather than be placed at the pay rate suggested by the study, Pronesti's salary will be increased to match what Police Chief James Welsh was set at when he was hired earlier this year, $145,000. The new pay scale for all employees will be effective for the first pay period of 2026, which actually begins in mid-December. The vote on Monday passed 10-0, with Councilman Tom Callahan, D-at Large, recusing himself from the vote. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.