Dardenne Prairie considers outside pay-study with Evergreen Solutions to create citywide salary scale

Kathy, a city staff member, told the board she is seeking approval to contract with Evergreen Solutions LLC to complete a citywide compensation study that would create a structured pay plan for municipal employees and include the Board of Aldermen and mayor positions.

The study, Kathy said, would benchmark pay against peer cities, classify jobs, estimate implementation costs and provide guidance for pay administration and communications. She described the work as a tool to “promote equity and fairness across all positions” and to help with recruitment and retention. Kathy said the consultant would deliver a final report and communications plan and that the project would take about 60–90 days from contract execution. She characterized the proposed professional services agreement as under $10,000 and noted that, while the dollar amount does not require board approval, it had not been specifically budgeted.

Board members asked whether staff could gather comparable data internally and how often a pay study should be refreshed. Kathy said a neutral third party is important to avoid bias in selecting peer benchmarks and recommended a board presentation once potential benchmark cities are identified. She also estimated the study would support a three- to five-year pay plan with periodic updates.

After discussion a board member moved to proceed with the expense; the motion was seconded. The chair called for a voice vote and no opposition was recorded on the public record, after which the board moved on to the next agenda item.

The next steps discussed were execution of a professional services agreement with Evergreen Solutions, staff presentation to the board on chosen peer benchmarks, and incorporation of the consultant’s implementation-cost estimates into the next regular budget process.