Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel And Pay Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DeBary council creates senior director post, adds part‑time planning technician and approves 10% across‑the‑board pay increase
Summary
Council approved a new full‑time senior director of community operations position effective May 1, a 20‑hour/week planning technician in growth management and a citywide pay plan implementing a 10% wage increase for all staff (including the city manager) effective April 6; staff said costs for the remainder of FY25 would be covered from reserves.
The council approved three personnel and compensation items that staff said address heavy workloads, retention risk and recruitment competitiveness.
Lede: The council voted to (1) create a full‑time senior director of community operations position (effective May 1), (2) add a part‑time planning technician in growth management (20 hours per week, non‑benefit eligible, effective May 1) and (3) adopt a revised pay plan implementing a 10% wage increase across all staff, including the city manager, effective April 6, 2025.
Nut graf: Staff described rising workloads across growth management, public works, engineering and parks as drivers for the new senior director role; HR presented market comparators showing DeBary’s pay bands averaging about 10% below comparable jurisdictions and recommended the citywide adjustment to reduce turnover risk.
City Manager Carmen Rosamond told the council the senior director would supervise growth management, engineering, public works and parks and would provide technical oversight, contract management and day‑to‑day leadership; staff estimated the annual salary and benefits at roughly $140,000 and said the FY25 prorated cost through Sept. 30 would be about $70,333. Wendy Cullen, the city’s human resources director, presented the pay‑plan analysis comparing regional pay ranges and leadership salaries and recommended a 10% increase to close a portion of the market gap.
The part‑time planning technician was described as a 20‑hour/week, non‑benefits position to return administrative and code‑enforcement support to growth management; staff estimated the annual cost at about $24,382 and the FY25 remainder impact at $12,190. Cullen said the recommended wage adjustments for this year total roughly $249,342 for the remaining six months when combined with the two new positions and the pay study results; stormwater‑funded positions’ adjustments were charged to the stormwater fund.
Council members debated the magnitude of the increase; some members expressed support for a higher adjustment but backed the staff recommendation of 10% with an additional annual adjustment to be considered in the FY26 budget. The council authorized a budget amendment to fund the FY25 portion of the personnel and pay adjustments and approved the three actions by roll‑call vote.
Ending: Staff will advertise the senior‑director position, recruit for the planning technician and implement wage adjustments; the FY26 budget will reflect the annualized cost of the changes.
