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Fenton committee sets new minimums for maintenance workers, directs advertising with DOQ
Summary
The City of Fenton’s committee approved new starting wages for maintenance workers — $20.00 (Worker 1), $23.50 (Worker 2) and $27.00 (Worker 3) — and instructed staff to advertise those rates as the starting pay while retaining top-of-range hiring discretion (DOQ).
The City of Fenton’s committee voted to set new minimum starting wages for its maintenance-worker classifications and directed staff to advertise those starting rates while keeping the top of the pay ranges “depending on qualifications.” Alderman Wissbrough proposed the pay schedule and said the change was necessary to recruit entry-level workers.
Wissbrough proposed starting hourly wages of $20.00 for Maintenance Worker 1, $23.50 for Worker 2 and $27.00 for Worker 3, noting the city would still reserve higher pay for candidates with greater qualifications. “For worker 1, they would start at $20. For number 2, maintenance worker number 2, at $23.50, and for worker number 3, at 27,” Wissbrough said when presenting the recommendation.
The change followed a committee review of benchmarking data from other municipalities and a memo compiled by staff; Aldermen and staff cited neighboring cities such as Sunset Hills and Crestwood during the discussion. Speakers emphasized two competing priorities: attracting applicants at the entry level with competitive base pay, and preserving benefit packages and career progression for longer-serving employees.
Opponents and skeptics pressed for clearer job descriptions and raised the risk that raises should align with duties rather than be purely market-driven. Alderman Susan said the committee must ensure job descriptions and pay ranges match current responsibilities so that promotions do not inadvertently reduce an employee’s pay.
After discussion, the committee approved an initial motion to adopt the proposed starting wages by voice vote. Members then clarified advertising procedure: the committee instructed staff to post the approved amounts as starting pay while allowing the upper portion of the range to remain DOQ (dependent on qualifications) to permit higher offers for particularly qualified candidates.
A follow-up motion opened the wage decision to the full board for a vote so staff could advertise immediately. The committee then approved a final motion directing that current employees paid below the new minimums be adjusted up to those starting rates.
The committee’s action was procedural and budgetary rather than an immediate change to the city’s full pay scale; staff indicated they would implement the advertised starting rates when posting vacancies and bring any offers above the base to the board for approval if necessary.
What’s next: Staff will post job advertisements using the new starting hourly rates and continue to use DOQ authority for hires above those minimums. The matter was opened to the full board for formal adoption and implementation steps were authorized.
