Clarksburg council approves amended pay plan: 3% raises for employees under $70,000, $1,200 for higher salaries
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Summary
The Clarksburg City Council approved final passage of an ordinance setting municipal pay for fiscal 2025–26 after amending the proposal to give a 3% increase to employees earning under $70,000 and a $1,200 adjustment for those earners above that threshold.
The Clarksburg City Council on an amended final reading approved an ordinance establishing salaries and compensation for municipal officers and employees for fiscal year 2025–26.
Council members amended the ordinance at the meeting to provide a 3% pay increase for employees earning less than $70,000 and a flat $1,200 adjustment for employees earning above $70,000. Council then voted to approve the ordinance as amended.
The amendment was proposed during the ordinance's second and final-reading public hearing. Council members debated whether the change would be a substantial modification that required tabling until absent members could participate; two council members were not present for the vote. City staff warned that, without running the figures, it was not immediately clear how substantial the budgetary effect would be. One staff estimate discussed during debate said the originally proposed 3% across-the-board figure equated to roughly $240,000 in total payroll cost, though council members said the amendment would reduce that cost by excluding some higher-paid positions.
Council members who spoke in favor said the amendment would better target lower- and middle-income employees. Others said they wanted time to see detailed calculations before committing. A motion to table the item failed, the council adopted the amendment, and the amended ordinance passed on final reading.
The vote was announced from the dais as “Aye” and “Motion carries” after the final voice vote; the meeting transcript records that the amendment passed and that the ordinance as amended carried on final reading.
The council noted that any post–July 1 salary changes would require a budget revision and the city would need to process required paperwork within the first month of the fiscal year if adjustments affect appropriations. City staff said they would produce the detailed payroll calculations for council review at the next meeting.
The action concludes the council's formal consideration of the salary ordinance for FY 2025–26; staff will prepare implementing documents and any required budget amendments for the next steps.
