Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Compensation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Trinidad council adopts RGS classification plan, approves 10% across‑the‑board pay increase
Summary
After months of work and a third‑party review, the Trinidad City Council unanimously approved a job classification and compensation plan prepared by Regional Government Services and authorized an immediate 10% salary increase as a first step toward market alignment.
The City of Trinidad on Oct. 14 adopted a job classification plan and compensation policy prepared by Regional Government Services (RGS) and authorized a one‑time 10% increase to employee salaries as an initial step toward aligning pay with comparable agencies.
City Manager Gabe summarized the RGS findings and recommended the council approve the classification plan and a 10% across‑the‑board pay increase immediately, with staff to return during budget deliberations to propose a phased approach toward full market alignment. Gabe said a “flat dollar monthly adjustment impact to the payroll budget would just be under $1,800.”
RGS classification and compensation team leader Patty Howard, who joined the council by video, described the firm’s process: first update and confirm job descriptions, then compare those to comparable agencies and develop market references. Howard said RGS generally uses median pay among comparators as the basis for recommendations and noted that some Trinidad classifications had limited comparable data, for which RGS used internal alignment ties. “A 10% increase is a very generous increase,” Howard told the council, describing the proposed immediate step as a pragmatic first phase.
Council members discussed fiscal tradeoffs and implementation timing. Councilmembers asked staff to use the upcoming budget process to develop a multiyear, phased plan to bring classifications toward market, rather than committing to full alignment tonight. Staff said offsets (including temporary savings from vacant positions earlier in the fiscal year) would cover the loaded cost of the immediate 10% adjustment for the remainder of the year.
After discussion, the council voted to adopt the 2025 job classification plan and compensation policy prepared by RGS and to authorize the immediate 10% pay increase, with staff to return with a multi‑year funding plan during the 2026 budget process. The motion passed unanimously.
What the council approved - A citywide job classification plan and updated job descriptions prepared by Regional Government Services. - A compensation policy (as described in the RGS report) to guide future salary surveys and pay decisions. - A budget amendment to implement an immediate, across‑the‑board 10% salary increase as the first phase; staff directed to return with a phased funding plan for additional increases.
Implementation and next steps Staff will: (1) meet individually with employees to confirm job descriptions reflect duties; (2) prepare budget options showing phased increases to move classifications toward market medians; and (3) present recommended phase‑in steps in the next budget cycle (target discussion during spring/summer 2026). The council did not commit to reaching full market median pay tonight; subsequent increases will require council approval.
The council thanked RGS and staff for the study and for work to update job descriptions and compensation methodology. The RGS report and the council motion appear intended to create a formal, repeatable pay policy and to reduce internal pay inequities that staff described during the study.
