Council hears consultants’ findings on citywide classification and compensation study; final structure to return for approval

Consultants from CPS HR Consulting and TrueComp presented the results of a citywide classification and compensation study to the Norwalk City Council, proposing a move from the city’s five-step salary structure to a nine-step structure to improve market competitiveness and internal equity.

Vicky Quintero Brashear of CPS HR said the consultants ‘‘designed a 9 step salary structure, which we’ll show you in a few minutes, that aligned with the market data.’’ She told the council that 44 benchmark classifications — about 40% of the city’s jobs — met the comparator threshold, providing enough anchor points to extrapolate recommended changes across the rest of the schedule. Consultant Igor Shagalev (transcribed as Igor Shagolev) explained the problem with the current system: inconsistent pay-grade separation that can impede promotions and create pay compression.

The consultants said the proposed nine-step structure would widen ranges and give employees ‘‘more room to grow,’’ allowing more gradual annual step movement and clearer separation between job levels. They stated that under the recommended plan, “no employee in this plan that we recommend will have reduction in pay,” and that the majority of employees — including the 57% currently at the top of the five-step ranges — would receive pay increases or improved pay progression under the new structure.

Council members and staff asked questions about next steps. The consultants and HR staff said a final phase remains: verifying final pay-grade assignments, determining the movement and cost for each employee, and returning with a finalized structure and cost estimates. A council member summarized the effort as a reset to make the system “manageable” and better aligned with market and internal equity. No formal council action was recorded on the study at this meeting; consultants said they expect to return with final recommendations in the coming weeks.

Why it matters: The study addresses long-standing concerns about internal equity and recruitment/retention by aligning Norwalk’s pay ranges with comparable cities and creating a clearer job-family architecture. Council members emphasized the importance of verifying final pay-grade assignments and the fiscal implications before adoption.

Next steps: Consultants will finalize pay-grade slotting for remaining job classifications, compute the budgetary movement costs for each employee, and return to council with a final recommendation for adoption and implementation details.