‘You didn’t consult with us’
Council members challenge panel president for leaving them out of talks for full-time IT position
The Town of Highland isn’t expecting to have a full-time Information Technology director until the end of the month amid accusations that its Town Council president acted unilaterally to make the hire.
The Town Council is considering hiring current IT person Ed Dabrowski full time and was supposed to take up the matter of changing the salary ordinance to hire him in at a salary of $92,000, a move that was originally postponed during its Aug. 23 meeting.
Dabrowski currently works fulltime for the Town of Griffith at a salary of $63,336, but has run Highland’s information technology on a contract basis for the last 16 years.
Councilman Tom Black, R-4th, however, made a motion to remove the item from the agenda and “delay it indefinitely,” which Councilman Mark Herak, D-2nd, seconded. The motion to postpone Monday was made, Herak said, because the rest of the council wasn’t involved in crafting the job offer.
“This is essentially a job offer letter, but do we know what the compensation is? Last we heard, it was $95,000,” Herak said. “So, what’s the salary? Is there a car allowance? A clothing allowance? We weren’t part of (those discussions.)”
Herak then outlined the salaries of the town’s other department heads, of which only one — Public Works Director Mark Knesek — makes as much as Dabrowski would make, but he also acts as the Highland’s head of Sanitation and Water Works, he said.
As far as what other municipalities pay their IT people, the Town of Schererville’s IT person receives
$91,000, but a portion of that is paid for by the Town of Cedar Lake because the Schererville person handles those town’s E-911, Herak said.
“The City of Crown Point pays its Clerk-Treasurer $85,000 and its IT person $79,000, and it pays Mayor (David) Uran $92,000. (Dabrowski) would be making what the mayor of Crown Point makes,” Herak said.
Council President Roger Sheeman, R-5th, said he agrees that some of Highland’s department heads are underpaid, and previous councils could’ve just as easily rectified that situation. Additionally, the Highland Police Department’s IT person retired, and Dabrowski has agreed to take on that job as well, which will save the town $20,000, he said.
“(Dabrowski’s) been doing this for 16 years. He set up our Zoom meetings and never asked for an extra cent. I don’t know why we’re resisting this,” Sheeman said.
“You didn’t consult with us,” Herak said, to which Sheeman said he did keep the council informed, but some councilman “don’t read their emails.”
Clerk-Treasurer Michael Griffin advised the council that postponing the motion indefinitely effectively kills it, so Black agreed to rescind the motion. The council then voted 5-0 to take up the discussion at its Sept. 20 study session and take a final vote at its Sept. 27 plenary meeting.