Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Policy 2026 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Gahanna administration seeks emergency adoption of 2026 salary and benefits ordinances
Summary
HR Manager Ben Nolan presented the 2026 salary ordinance (nonunion) and companion benefits ordinance, requesting emergency and waiver; changes include a deleted manager position, a pay‑grade adjustment, continuation of 4% increases for staff above midpoints, a new vacation accrual tier for 26+ years and removal of spouses from the $400 wellness incentive due to vendor limitations.
The administration asked council to adopt the 2026 salary and benefits ordinances with emergency and waiver to align with the 2026 budget.
HR Manager Ben Nolan summarized the salary ordinance, which sets pay for nonunion personnel and incorporates classification adjustments recommended by the city’s compensation consultant (for example, deletion of a manager marketing position and moving the recreation supervisor from pay grade C‑15 to C‑16). The ordinance continues a 4% pay increase for employees over the midpoint of their pay grade.
The companion benefits ordinance includes various updates: alignment of service credit payment amounts with union contracts, a new vacation accrual tier for employees with 26 or more years of service, clarification that short‑term disability coverage begins the first day of the month following hire, modified donated leave increments (8‑hour increments with a 240‑hour donor retention minimum) and removal of spouses from the $400 employee wellness incentive because the vendor platform cannot currently aggregate spousal accounts.
Nolan said the changes are intended to align nonunion benefits with union contracts and to streamline the new wellness vendor’s functionality. The administration requested waiver and emergency to ensure alignment with the pending 2026 budget.
Next steps: the ordinances were scheduled for regular agenda action next week with requested emergency language; council asked clarifying questions about impacts to nonunion employees and the wellness benefit.
