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Council debates utility certification pay, stacking and grading system; tabled for more study
Summary
Council discussed proposed certification pay for water, wastewater and stormwater employees, raised questions about stacking, eligibility (line staff vs. department heads), and recommended further HR review and a possible grading/salary study before adoption.
Danville Town Council held an extended discussion about a proposed certification pay plan for the town’s utilities after staff presented figures developed with Reedy Financial. The proposal is framed as an employee-retention incentive tied to required certifications in water, wastewater and stormwater operations.
Staff noted proposed annual amounts presented in the utility budget: examples cited in the meeting included figures described as $47.50 for water and wastewater and $77.50 for stormwater in the draft '26 budget. Council members repeatedly asked whether certification pay would 'stack' (allowing an employee to receive multiple certification amounts) and who would qualify: line employees who obtain certifications, or department heads whose qualifications are generally built into their job descriptions.
One council member urged caution about immediately adopting the schedule without implementation rules. “My difficulty is that I don't have the technical knowledge ... who should get [it]” the council president said, stressing the need to define eligibility and sequencing. Other councilors recommended seeking sample policy language from peer towns, involving HR and the treasurer, and considering a job-grading system tied to a wage scale. One councilor noted a prior county grading effort cost around $30,000 as an example of the scope of such a study.
The discussion also touched on a separate compensation question: the fire department’s cell-phone stipend. A council member questioned why fire administrative staff in the draft appeared to receive $38.47 per pay period while other staff received $20; staff responded that a territory board and the Department of Local Government Finance had previously approved higher administrative line items and that the amounts reflected historical entries in the salary sheet.
Councilors asked staff to return with clearer implementation language, comparative examples from peer communities, HR input and a clearer fiscal analysis before any final adoption. The item was not finalized at the meeting.
