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Council hears details of recent pay changes; HR outlines new compensation programs
Summary
Allison DeChoso, director of human resources, briefed council on recent wage adjustments and new programs including a broadband pay plan, market-based pricing and a breakthrough bonus for CDL hires; city implemented roughly $6.41 million in salary increases across multiple actions.
Allison DeChoso, director of human resources, briefed the City Council on April 8 about recent and proposed changes to employee compensation and investments for fiscal 2026.
DeChoso said the city implemented $4,355,000 in pay increases for more than 900 sworn public safety employees, with an average increase of about 8.5% for affected sworn officers. She said an additional $2,055,000 in increases funded moves to a new broadband pay scale and that employees who had to be adjusted to the new minimums received an average increase of about 7.5%.
The HR director characterized the broadband system as different from traditional ranges and said the city is incorporating market-based pay to price jobs. She said the multi-year general wage increases have totaled roughly 16% over three years and that the recommended FY26 budget proposes a 3% general wage increase for eligible non-sworn employees.
DeChoso described a new "breakthrough bonus" program to recruit workers with commercial driver's licenses (CDLs). "In the first year ... we've had over 50 employees either apply and be hired with CDLs or bring other folks on board through referrals," she said.
Council asked about collective bargaining. DeChoso said the council will review input from the collective bargaining task force later this year and that bargaining could allow employees a greater voice but may add administrative costs and negotiated increases that would need to be considered amid federal and economic uncertainty.
Ending: DeChoso asked council members to continue discussing vacancies with staff during upcoming one-on-one budget meetings and said HR would provide details as requested.
