The Highland Village City Council on Jan. 14 approved Resolution 2025-3166, confirming a revised list of comparator cities and a market strategy for upcoming employee compensation and benefits studies.

The change follows a presentation from Kim (city HR staff) and Laurie Messer of Logic Compensation Group, who recommended updating the 2017 comparator list and using mid-market pay measures. Messer told the council that comparator selection is based on several criteria, including population (50'150% of Highland Village), average home values, median household income, proximity (the city preferred a 40-mile radius), and the number of comparable job matches. Messer said a full compensation study is typically done every three to five years and that the city's prior comparators were last updated in 2017.

Why it matters: The comparator list influences pay ranges and benefits the city uses to recruit and retain employees. Messer said mid-market targets and a top-25% benefits goal are designed to keep high performers while remaining fiscally sustainable.

The consultant recommended adding the city of Melissa, Roanoke and the town of Trophy Club and removing Coppell, Little Elm and Southlake from the previous list. Messer said Melissa, Roanoke and Trophy Club met 100% of the selection criteria, while Southlake and Little Elm scored lower on multiple factors, including home values and job matches. The consultant also noted maintaining nearby comparators such as Keller, Lewisville and Flower Mound because proximity increases hiring competition even when those cities are larger.

Councilmembers asked several questions and voiced different perspectives. Some members said larger jurisdictions such as Flower Mound and Lewisville are outliers because of larger commercial tax bases and budgets; others said proximity matters most because employees often move between neighboring cities. Kim said exit interviews and applicant-source data show about 70% of applicants live within 30 miles of the metroplex and that the city has retained staff well compared with peers.

The resolution was included on the consent agenda and was approved as part of a consent motion that passed 7-0. Councilmember Robert Feaster made the motion to approve the consent agenda; the motion was seconded and the consent items, including Resolution 2025-3166, carried unanimously.

Next steps: City staff will use the approved comparator list and strategy in the consultant-led compensation study and will provide additional job-match detail to council members on request.