Committee hears that changing salary ordinance won't fund a proposed 3% civilian raise without mayoral appropriation

Madam Chair opened discussion of Proposal No. 10, an ordinance fixing salaries for appointed officers and employees of the City of Lawrence for 2026, as the committee considered whether changing the salary ordinance to reflect a civilian 3% raise would legally obligate the city to pay that increase.

The controller told the committee, "You would need an additional appropriation, which would need to be approved by the mayor," clarifying that amending the ordinance alone does not create budget authority to pay higher wages.

Janae Jackson, the city's HR director, addressed how raises are applied in practice: "If the salary ordinance is changed for the civilians, this does not mean that every employee is given a 3 percent. That is what you all recommend because of some of the things that are already listed in our employee handbook. Increases should be based on performance as well as what's already written within our handbook." Jackson also noted some employees are already at pay caps and would not move with a top-line change.

Committee members stressed their long-standing goal to increase civilian pay but acknowledged the mechanics: the council can change the salary ordinance to make intentions clear, but staff and the mayor must propose and approve any additional appropriation to fund raises. One councilor summarized the timing: the ordinance can be updated this year, and any appropriation for pay increases would be requested in January for the 2026 budget year.

The discussion also covered precedent and practice: while council precedent has resulted in citywide increases in past years, HR emphasized that increases historically have included performance and handbook-based adjustments rather than a guaranteed blanket percentage for every employee.

No formal vote on Proposal No. 10 occurred during the committee meeting; staff reported the measure has been recommended to full council for consideration.