Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council hears staff proposal for 2.5% cost‑of‑living increase for civilian employees
Summary
City staff proposed a 2.5% COLA for civilian employees to be considered at tonight’s meeting; staff said the amendment would be funded from fund balance with sales tax and other revenue trends expected to offset the cost over the year, and council asked for a market study and options to protect lower‑paid employees.
Finance staff presented a proposed 2.5% cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) for all civilian employees, a budget amendment to appear on the council’s regular meeting agenda. Sheila Ludani, the city’s CFO, said the proposal follows council discussions in December and that the ordinance as written implements a 2.5% raise for civilian staff. She said sales tax is tracking roughly $250,000 ahead of budget year‑to‑date but cautioned two months of receipts is too early to assume a permanent trend; the budget amendment would use fund balance now and staff hopes projected revenues (sales tax, cruise passenger revenue, long‑term parking) will replenish the balance over the year.
Council members debated whether to exclude council appointees, whether to shift a larger portion toward lower paid employees and the need for a market study. Human Resources Director Beverly West said the city does not operate a merit‑based raise policy; pay adjustments are driven by market studies and COLA unless job duties change. Council asked staff to return with more granular options and the cost of a market study; staff estimated an outside market study might cost roughly $30,000.
Staff estimated that if projected revenues do not materialize, the amendment would reduce the city’s fund balance by roughly a day or day‑and‑a‑half, leaving approximately 108 days of reserves. Councilmembers asked staff to consider excluding appointed officers and to show the effect of any exclusion or a tiered approach favoring lower wage employees.
Why it matters: a citywide COLA affects thousands of municipal employees and carries material budget consequences; council requested additional analyses and a market study before adopting longer‑term compensation changes.
