Jacksonville Beach council adopts one‑year pay plan amendment for nonunion employees after heated debate

The Jacksonville Beach City Council voted Oct. 20 to adopt changes to the city—s nonunion classification and pay plan, approving a one‑year amendment that follows a compensation study conducted by Evergreen Solutions.

Deputy City Manager Karen Nelson told the council the study assessed 417 employees across nine departments (291 full‑time and 126 authorized part‑time positions) and used a market‑based methodology to align pay grades, recommending a multi‑year plan. "Evergreen employed a data driven methodology combining quantitative analysis and qualitative input from city leadership," Nelson said in her presentation.

Staff—s recommended pay plan would have provided an across‑the‑board market adjustment (the presentation used a 5% baseline increase for employees employed as of Sept. 30, 2025) plus additional adjustments for positions reclassified by one or more pay grades; no employee would receive more than a 12% total increase under the staff proposal. For certain utility pay ranges (identified in staff materials as pay grades 203 through 207 for Beaches Energy), staff recommended larger grade movements to address recruitment and retention challenges in line and technical utility roles.

At public comment, Joel Holden, a fourth‑year apprentice at Beaches Energy, told the council the staff proposal still left essential line workers feeling undercompensated. "I feel like we are the backbone of the city here," Holden said, urging higher pay for the electrical workforce that staffs storm response and day‑to‑day system operations.

Council debated a series of amendments that would have reduced some of the staff—s proposed increases for nonutility pay grades while maintaining larger increases for Beaches Energy grades. Council Member Sutton offered an itemized amendment; Council Member Wagner moved to limit the overall adopted plan to a one‑year implementation so the council could revisit the plan in light of economic uncertainty and potential revenue changes next year. After multiple procedural votes and a sequence of amendments, the council approved the pay plan as amended; the final motion limited the approved changes to one fiscal year.

The resolution text before council included these staff figures: the study covered 417 employees (291 full‑time; 126 part‑time); a 5% across‑the‑board market adjustment for employees employed as of Sept. 30, 2025; 22 positions (27 individuals) identified for a one‑grade reclassification adjustment; and 23 positions (23 individuals) identified for two‑or‑more grade reclassification adjustments. Staff estimated a 1‑percentage‑point additional across‑the‑board increase would cost roughly $300,000. Nelson and Chief Financial Officer Ashley Gossett answered council questions about budget timing and multi‑year impacts. Nelson noted the study targeted the 60th percentile of the market to improve competitiveness without aiming for top‑quartile pay.

Final vote: the council adopted Resolution 2198‑2025 as amended (adopted changes limited to one year). The council—s recorded roll call at final adoption recorded affirmative votes by the mayor and a majority of council members; the motion carried.