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Verona council approves compensation study changes, removes sergeant education incentive
Summary
Council adopted an amendment to administrative policy that eliminates a separate educational incentive for non-represented police sergeants and places education into the job-scoring model; staff and council debated wage compression, recruitment impacts and possible mitigations.
The Verona Common Council voted to amend city administrative policy number 4, section 3, removing eligibility for a separate education incentive add-on for non-represented police sergeants and instead accounting for education within the position scoring used to assign pay grades.
An unidentified speaker who said they represent the sergeants urged the council to retain the education incentive, saying that removing it would amount to a pay cut for the three sergeant positions and would reduce promotion incentives. "We are asking that it just continue to be the way it is," the speaker said during public comment.
City staff and the compensation consultant told the council they reviewed eight comparable jurisdictions and found none paid a separate educational incentive to sergeants; instead education is accounted for in job-scoring. Staff described a problem of wage 'compression' in which sergeants' total pay has approached lieutenant pay because of overtime and incentive differences. The consultant recommended removing the add-on and placing the sergeant classification in grade 9 on the new pay scale, which staff said is consistent with industry practice.
Councilors pressed staff on recruitment and retention impacts. Staff reported limited internal applicants in recent lieutenant recruitments and noted that overtime and other entitlements affect total pay comparisons. One council member suggested exploring targeted overtime or other administrative measures to reduce perceived pay compression without restoring the incentive. The council approved the amendment; the motion passed with Alder Swanson recorded as opposing the change.
The amendment is intended to go into effect on Dec. 22, 2025, coincident with the adopted classification and compensation plan. Staff committed to continue monitoring compression and to consider additional measures if needed.
Next steps: staff will monitor recruitment data and pay outcomes and return to council if further adjustments are necessary.
