Trinidad council adopts job classification plan, approves immediate 10% pay increase for staff

The City of Trinidad Council on Oct. 14 adopted a 2025 job classification plan and compensation policy prepared by Regional Government Services (RGS) and approved a 10% salary increase across city staff effective immediately as the first step toward aligning pay with market medians.

The study and the pay action respond to what city management described as long‑standing inequities and recruitment and retention risks in the city’s pay structure. City Manager Gabe (last name not specified in the record) told the council RGS ‘‘developed a legitimate job index, searches and titles that match the duties’’ and that the alignment gap across classifications ranged roughly from about 15% to 33% compared with market medians.

RGS classification and compensation adviser Patty Howard explained the firm’s methodology: it updated job descriptions, matched those descriptions to comparable positions at peer agencies and then used the median of that peer group as the central comparison. ‘‘We normally look at the median,’’ Howard said in the remote presentation, noting the median avoids distortion from outliers. Howard also recommended a written compensation policy to govern future surveys and adjustments.

City staff recommended the initial 10% increase to show ‘‘good faith’’ while staff develops a multiyear, phased approach to reach market alignment. The staff report said the immediate 10% adjustment would have a modest near‑term payroll impact and that savings from current vacancies and reallocated positions would cover the remainder for the rest of the fiscal year. The report gave a specific near‑term loaded payroll cost for the 10% step: ‘‘just under $1,800’’ per month (citywide, loaded cost), as stated by the city manager during the meeting.

Council members pressed for fiscal safeguards and a schedule for follow‑up changes. Several members said they favored a phased approach and asked staff to return with options during budget deliberations. Patty Howard suggested several phasing methods, including giving larger increases to classifications that are farther from market and smaller increases to those already near the median, and reiterated the value of documenting the policy to ensure predictable future action.

A member of the public, identified as Miss Thompson, urged the council to approve the 10% increase immediately, saying staff deserve higher pay to retain them and to keep recruitment competitive.

The council voted to adopt the classification plan and compensation policy, authorize a budget amendment to implement a 10% across‑the‑board salary increase effective immediately, and direct staff to prepare a phased strategy to further align salaries with market medians. The motion passed; the meeting record notes the measure passed unanimously.

The council and staff emphasized the next steps will include: confirming final job descriptions with affected employees, producing a detailed cost and phasing analysis for future budgets, and drafting a formal compensation policy governing how the city will run future market surveys and set targets.

The RGS report included recommended new or revised titles and clarified duties for several positions (city manager/assistant city manager, special projects/grants coordinator, public works treatment operator series). City management said the document will be used to improve job descriptions, formalize supervisory lines and support annual performance evaluations.

What’s next: staff will return with the fiscal plan and proposed phasing as part of the city’s regular budget process, and the council signaled it will consider further increases only after reviewing those financial analyses.

Ending: Council members and the consultant framed the action as correcting a long‑standing personnel and HR risk. Patty Howard closed by urging the council to adopt written compensation policies to make future adjustments routine and auditable.