Commissioners approve raises for transit manager, scheduler
HARTINGTON – The rapid growth of Cedar County Transit has led to an increase in the salaries of two of its employees.
Transit Manager Nikki Pinkelman met with the board of commissioners June 13 and noted the public transportation system has grown “tremendously” during the past couple of years.
Cedar County Transit will mark two years in September since it moved into its new building in Hartington back in 2021.
As she has in the past, Pinkelman presented the commissioners with a request to increase her and Transit Scheduler Ashley Gowery’s annual salaries.
“We went from working at home to moving into a facility, and now we have 50 percent more work than we were doing,” Pinkelman said.
She reminded the commissioners that the public transportation system has seen an increase in both drivers and vans from 10 to 15 during the past couple of years.
“I’m in charge of a lot more than I ever used to be,” Pinkelman said. “And I never got an increase for moving in and having an increase in manager’s duties.”
She noted she has been requesting salary increases for herself and Gowery “based on our increased duties.”
“We didn’t hire anybody else,” Pinkelman said. “We’ve just absorbed all of the extra work, and we have a lot more work going on in our office.”
Pinkelman, who has been the manager of Cedar County Transit for nearly seven years, and Gowery are full-time county employees.
“She’s been there for two years, and she makes the same as all brandnew county employees,” Pinkelman said of Gowery. “I don’t find that fair to her that she’s been there for two years, and that’s what she’s making.”
She reminded the commissioners about possibly using funds paid by Knox County for the public transportation system’s services toward raises for herself and Gowery.
“We had shown that the money we were taking in for Knox would cover part of that,” Pinkelman said.
With an estimated cost of $24,000 for the 2023 year of service, Knox County is contracted to make monthly payments of $2,000 to Cedar County for public transit services during this 12-month period.
Cedar County Transit provides public transportation services for all of Cedar County and parts of eastern Knox County – Bloomfield, Crofton and Wausa area residents who live within 30 miles of the transit office located in Hartington.
For about the past two years, the public transportation system has accepted Medicaid insurance from passengers who qualify for it and use it to cover medical-only trips.
Cedar County Transit receives an average of $3,000-$5,000 per month from Medicaid, with Pinkelman noting the money is an extra source of income that helps make transportation services less expensive for the county to pay for.
She added the funds Cedar County Transit receives monthly from both Knox County and Medicaid could possibly help pay for raises for herself and Gowery.
“We have income from both of those,” Pinkelman said. “That’s all stuff that I’ve worked on and done myself. We didn’t accept Medicaid before I started. It’s a great thing to accept.”
The commissioners later discussed Pinkelman’s request for raises for herself and Gowery and approved them.
Pinkelman’s salary will go up from $49,715 to $59,710; she had requested an increase to $61,260. Gowery’s salary will rise from $40,102.40 to $43,680.