Cleveland council adopts compensation study to align city pay with market

The Cleveland City Council voted 3–0 on Aug. 12 to approve, implement and adopt a compensation study prepared by Matt Weatherly of Public Sector Personnel Consultants (PSPC), aiming to realign city pay scales to market midpoints and improve employee recruitment and retention. Councilmember Mag Waters moved to adopt the study; Mr. Buckley seconded and the motion carried.

The consultant told council the study benchmarked more than 60 job classifications against comparable cities and private-sector positions and recommended removing steps from the civilian pay scale in favor of open-range minimum-to-maximum grades with a market midpoint. "We're coming in just under 360 k plus your benefits load for a 12 month full implementation cost," Weatherly said during his presentation. He said the approach is intended to make entry rates more competitive while preserving career growth inside the range.

Finance Director Pamela Harrison said the proposed study figures are included in the budget packet for implementation and that staff and the consultant have been working to identify budget options and phasing. The consultant noted roughly 20 employees would not require immediate adjustments because their current pay is already at or above the recommended range; others would be regraded to match market relationships.

Council members and the mayor framed adoption as a step to reduce turnover to neighboring cities. One council member cited recent departures in public safety and other trades as a motivating factor; Police and Fire top-out rates were described as generally competitive, while entry-level police pay was identified as a gap staff will address. The consultant and staff said the recommended changes should be phased into the budget and then funded in subsequent years as resources allow.

The council directed staff to include the study for budget consideration and implementation planning. No amendments to the study were made at the meeting.