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Port Orchard to run in‑house salary survey for nonunion employees; council to pick comparator cities
Summary
HR Director Debbie Lund proposed an in‑house salary study for nonrepresented staff (last done in 2022/implemented 2023). The committee favored an internal study and asked staff to return with comparator choices (8–9 cities suggested) before releasing results.
PORT ORCHARD — The finance committee on Feb. 17 agreed staff should move forward with an in‑house salary survey for nonrepresented city employees, with the committee to decide comparator cities before staff releases results.
HR Director Debbie Lund told the committee that the city usually surveys every three years and that the last full effort was completed in 2022 and implemented in 2023. Lund described salary benchmarking as "an art form, not a science," and outlined options ranging from a 50% up/50% down comparator model (used for some arbitration cases) to a curated list of eight or nine peer cities in the Puget Sound region.
Committee members favored keeping comparator cities within the Greater Puget Sound area (members suggested Monroe, Centralia, Enumclaw and Bainbridge as examples) and agreed in‑house work would be acceptable instead of paying a consultant. Lund said she will not release data until the committee picks the comparator sample so decisions are not driven by preliminary results.
Members noted the importance of comparing similar job duties and accounting for new or expanded responsibilities; some positions may be frozen for a year if benchmarking shows they are above market. Staff will return with a recommended comparator list and methodology for committee approval before finalizing the survey.
