Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness was direct in his comments before the City Council Monday night – his city is as efficient as any municipality in the state, yet state tax distribution systems short-change Fishers.  To remain competitive with surrounding communities and the private sector, the City Council voted unanimously to provide city employees a mid-year hike in basic pay.

Public safety workers will see a $2,500 increase in their annual pay.  Other city employees will receive a $1,000 annual hike in pay.  Fadness says this will cost the city about $500,000 in 2024 and roughly $1 million in 2025.  The pay increase will be effective in the current pay period.  Fadness emphasizes this pay increase will not apply to any elected officials.

The mayor says this mid-year pay action is unusual, but the gap in compensation has been growing.  This is not a bonus, but part of the base pay for each employee.

Fadness repeated an assertion he made on a recent podcast with me, saying the property tax and income tax distribution system established by state law penalizes Fishers and it is his long-term goal to work toward advocating what he describes as a system that treats Fishers fairly.  He cites Carmel as an example, in which that city receives $60 million more per year in property and income taxes compared to Fishers.  Fadness calls this gap “staggering.”

The mayor points again to Carmel, with roughly the same population as Fishers, funding 130 more city employees compared to Fishers.

Councilman Todd Zimmerman argues that a number of public safety employees work on regional task force assignments, so they are impacting more than just what is happening within the Fishers city limits.  He wants a total look into the pay for public safety workers.