Portage Mayor Austin Bonta wants to join the ranks of other cities its size in getting a full-time city attorney.
With a population estimated at 38,882, Portage is the third-largest city in Northwest Indiana, behind Hammond and Gary.
Bonta even has someone in mind for the job and introduced him at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Dan Bartnicki, of Portage, is executive assistant to the general counsel at the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board.
Bartnicki said he is willing to take the $50,000 pay cut to leave his federal job and work for the city. His salary would be $148,000, with benefits bringing the total compensation package to about $212,000Bartnicki’s salary would make him the highest-paid city employee.
Bartnicki would do more than the private attorneys do for the city and Bonta stressed that this position is intentionally being created as apolitical, not the mayor’s counsel. The aim is to provide legal services that aren’t currently being done.
The council approved amending the salary ordinance. Bartnicki would start no sooner than December.
