Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Compensation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council adds "executive director of public safety" to pay plan; debate centers on overtime, RSA treatment and local legislation
Summary
The Tuscaloosa City Council committee approved adding an executive director of public safety classification to Municipal Code section 19‑42 and establishing a new PF‑8 pay grade with a 15‑step schedule.
The Tuscaloosa City Council committee approved amendments to Municipal Code section 19‑42 to add an executive director of public safety to the city’s pay plan and to add a new public‑safety pay grade, PF‑8, with a 15‑step schedule.
Miss Herbert, staff member, presented the request to amend exhibits A and B of section 19‑42 (the lists of positions by pay grade and alphabetically) and later detailed section D, the public safety pay grade and step schedule. Miss Herbert said step 1 of PF‑8 would be $144,206.20, step 9 (the maximum step a candidate could start at without additional approvals) would be $175,701.25, and step 15 (the top of the grade) would be $203,759.59.
Council members asked whether the position would be overtime‑eligible and whether candidates could start above step 9. Lashonda (staff member) explained the Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA) calculation: retirement benefits are calculated on base pay plus overtime up to 120% of base salary; overtime amounts that push compensation past the 120% cap are not counted toward RSA retirement benefit calculations and are not subject to RSA withholding. The city’s staff also confirmed that Auburn and Mobile examples provided as comparisons are not eligible for overtime.
Mister Holmes, staff member, said two local acts applicable in Tuscaloosa County require sworn police and fire personnel to be overtime‑eligible and that the city has drafted a local bill that would exclude this position from those acts; staff will work with Representative England and the Local Services Agency (LSA) and anticipated that, if pursued, a local bill would be considered when the legislature is in session and could be in place by 2026. Several council members said they are concerned about morale and pay differentials if some department heads are eligible for overtime while others are not and indicated they might not support creating an exempt classification without further study.
Council members approved the amendments on voice votes and moved the pay‑grade item forward to full council; staff said a related budget amendment and a reduced overtime assumption will be considered at the upcoming finance meeting.
