The Portage City Council has less oversight over personnel matters, under an ordinance adopted Tuesday.
Mayor Austin Bonta said the change is designed to bring Portage in line with Indiana Code, which typically leaves personnel matters up to a city's board of works. He said Portage had been regulating them through council ordinances, since it didn't have a human resources department.
"Now that we have an HR department, it's much smoother for these things to be enforced, per state statute, via the board of works and carried out through the human resources department," Bonta explained.
The ordinance adopted Tuesday repeals any previous ordinances that would conflict with that. However, health insurance policy and collective bargaining will remain under council control, since Bonta felt they tie in with the council's fiscal role.
The changes led to questions from council member Collin Czilli. "So am I understanding, you're saying under Indiana Code, the city council has no power to set employment policies for city employees?" Czilli asked.
"It's really a fiscal body," responded City Attorney Edward Graham.
Graham also said employee handbooks would only be approved by the board of works, not the city council. But Bonta said the council does technically have the authority to decide which department handles specific executive functions.
The ordinance ultimately passed by a vote of six-to-one, with Czilli opposing.
