Starke County Park Board member Kathy Norem asked the Starke County Council Monday night to approve pay for gate staff at the Bass Lake Beach.
The Starke County Commissioners already approved the hire of two seasonal employees to take fees at the gate to the beach, but Norem asked the council to formally approve their pay. Norem said the gate attendants would be working during the weekends for now.
The council members unanimously approved an amendment to the salary ordinance to pay the gate attendants $10 an hour. A job description will also be included.
Norem added they could look into it further in order to possibly set up a range of pay for the salary ordinance in 2022.
She noted that the money collected in gate fees just during the Fourth of July holiday paid for their wages through the rest of the season, which is anticipated to go through the Labor Day holiday weekend.
Additionally, Norem talked about the possible hire of a park superintendent. She said an ordinance exists that allows for a county park superintendent for Starke County since there is an ordinance that formally initiated the Starke County Park Board. The superintendent would oversee the Bass Lake Beach, the Starke County Forest, and non-incorporated parks. The candidate could also collaborate with municipal park boards to work together to improve parks throughout the county. However, the county will follow Indiana code when it comes to a job description for the park superintendent.
The range of pay would be $37,500 to $42,500 and it would come out of the Starke County Park Board’s budget.
The council members unanimously approved a motion to hire a superintendent with the proposed range of pay as long as the superintendent is the only person being paid for park management operations, especially at the Bass Lake Beach.
The request for a park superintendent will go before the Starke County Commissioners at their next meeting. Norem stated that it is not a required action by the commissioners, but the park board members would like their blessing on the matter.
