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Finance committee approves reclassification and retroactive pay for selected assessment department jobs
Summary
The Finance Committee approved reclassification of selected jobs in the City of Wausau assessment department, with retroactive pay to Jan. 1, 2025; committee members noted internal equity concerns and recommended future third-party compensation studies.
The Wausau Finance Committee on June 24 approved a reclassification of selected positions in the city assessment department, including retroactive pay to Jan. 1, 2025, after discussion on comparability and conflict-of-interest concerns.
City human-resources staff presented a comparative table of salary ranges from other municipalities and said the data was collected over time, with dates noted for each comparator. The HR director told the committee the reclassification aims to align internal equity within current grade structures while recognizing that a comprehensive total-compensation study would be a larger future project.
Alder comments stressed that comparing salary data from cities such as Janesville or Madison may not be "apples to apples" with Wausau and suggested that better comparators would be cities closer in size and region (for example, Stevens Point, Eau Claire, Appleton). The HR director said internal equity was considered in the recommendation and that the change would make employees "whole with respect to their peers." The HR director confirmed the reclassifications would be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2025.
The committee also discussed conflict-of-interest concerns raised in HR committee about performing compensation work in-house when the affected department has close relationships with HR; several members recommended using an independent third party for future compensation work to avoid perceptions of favoritism. One committee member said she would support drafting a policy requiring third-party assistance for similar future reviews.
The packet included a cost-savings report noting an embedded savings of $45,006.26 in the 2025 budget related to the open role that followed the prior incumbent’s departure; the total budget implication cited in discussion was $54,006.62. Alder Tierney moved and Alder Henke seconded the reclassification; the motion passed with one recorded no vote by Alder Gisselman.
Less critical details: committee members agreed a broader compensation study would be more meaningful in the future and encouraged staff to match comparators to Wausau’s size and cost-of-living.
