City to hold Jan. 22 hiring fair; public service starting pay raised to $18 an hour

The city's HR team told the Civil Service Merit Board on Jan. 8 that the city will hold a large hiring fair on Jan. 22 where applicants can apply, interview, complete background checks and receive contingent offers for a Feb. 3 start date.

"On January 22nd, the city... is going to have our first, huge job fair," said Nick Jones, HR staff. Jones said HR, benefits and civil service are coordinating so applicants can complete multiple hiring steps in one visit, including interviews, background checks and initial benefits enrollment.

Jones and other HR speakers also announced an increase in the starting rate for public service workers to $18 an hour. "This is the first time... we are now, we are struggling... and so it's pretty cold outside today, and our employees are outside," Jones said, noting the pay increase is intended to improve recruitment and retention for entry-level roles.

HR staff outlined several other administrative updates tied to compliance and training: an updated administrative rule for CDL (the federal Clearinghouse requirement) has been implemented and defensive-driving training will be required for employees who operate city light vehicles. The office also plans more comprehensive national background checks using a commercial provider (Checkr) because local checks do not reveal out-of-area criminal histories; staff said there is a per-applicant cost for national checks and that they are evaluating whether the expense requires a budget amendment.

Ending: HR staff said communications and benefits teams are publicizing the Jan. 22 fair and that next month the office will provide a training calendar and updates on reclassification deadlines for employees.