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City staff present compensation study; administration proposes modest increases and a pay‑step plan for sworn employees
Summary
Human resources presented a compensation study showing lower turnover than in earlier years and recommended budget options including a proposed 3 percent cost‑of‑living increase and funding for public safety step/step‑style pay adjustments.
Sandy City HR director Katrina presented results of the city's compensation study and turnover analysis and described recommended building blocks for the 2026 compensation plan.
Katrina told the council the city had 44 benefit‑eligible separations in 2024, a turnover rate of 8.1 percent, and 16 retirements. She said the city's average employee tenure is about 10.5 years, which she said increases average pay levels for long‑service staff and can affect survey comparisons. ‘‘In 2024, we had 44 employees separate from the city . . . we had 16 retirements in 2024, so that was double the number of retirements from the prior year,’’ Katrina said.
Key compensation findings and proposal
- The city compared pay and benefits to a peer group drawn from the Utah League of Cities and Towns clusters plus a small set of additional benchmark jurisdictions. The study covered pay range minimums and maximums and actual average pay for a sample of 45 positions representing about 61 percent of city employees.
- Katrina said actual average pay for many positions remains at or slightly above the peer average, aided by multi‑year adjustments (including recent large COLAs). However, she said range maximums and some range minima for public (non‑safety) positions have fallen behind peers, which informed the recommendation.
- Estimated costs presented to council staff: a sworn step plan for police and fire would cost about $870,000; a 3 percent performance‑oriented increase for non‑sworn employees would cost roughly $900,000; each one percent COLA across all employees would cost about $620,000. Katrina said the administration is considering a roughly 3 percent COLA proposal and noted the city currently has about $1.1 million in compensation savings that could offset part of increases.
- Katrina also reported favorable benefit cost news: the health plan renewal was estimated to increase only about 1.1 percent (roughly $85,000) and lowered retirement contribution rates for certain plans are projected to produce savings (about $215,000), which staff said improves the starting budget position.
Why it matters: staffing and compensation were framed as central to maintaining service levels and controlling long‑term costs. Katrina cautioned that maintaining competitiveness for public safety and front‑line positions will require continued attention to ranges and step provisions.
Sources and next steps
Katrina said staff will incorporate these building blocks into the administration's tentative budget for May and that proposed increases and the sworn pay‑step proposal will be part of that formal package. Council members and staff asked clarifying questions about band composition and survey match rules during the presentation.
