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City staff push pay increases, dozens of positions as leaders warn of hiring shortfalls
Summary
City leaders presented pay history and above‑current position requests across multiple departments, highlighted the cost of wage changes (≈$900,000 per 1% citywide) and described recruitment difficulties—police cited about 20 open positions—alongside proposed certification pay and shift differentials.
City department heads and human‑resources staff outlined pay‑history context, proposed certification or shift‑differential pay, and a slate of above‑current position requests during the pre‑budget workshop, warning that recruitment challenges will shape the FY25 staffing picture.
Christy summarized the city’s recent pay actions and the pay study results: the city awarded a 4% cost‑of‑living adjustment, maintained step increases for eligible civil‑service employees, and has implemented pay‑for‑performance elements since the pay study. She said the Employment Cost Index recommendation would suggest roughly 4.8–5% annual increases to keep pace with labor‑market norms, and that cumulative progress on pay had reduced vacancy rates in several departments.
Steven framed the fiscal constraint: “for every percent citywide, the increase would be about $900,000,” he told council, before listing that directors would present above‑current position requests for rostered consideration.
Directors described specific position requests and costs: - Code enforcement: Terry requested two full‑time code officers plus associated vehicles and training to reduce current coverage ratios in neighborhoods. - Animal services: department requested an additional front‑desk animal‑services position to improve intake, adoptions and social‑media response; staff said the position would be lower hourly cost than animal‑care officers and free ACOs for field duties. - Fire/EMS: fire leaders requested an EMS‑coordinator lieutenant and a captain/fire‑marshal position, and proposed certification pay for advanced and paramedic levels and for TCOLE certifications (presented annual cost ~ $127,200). - IT and network security: Derek Brown requested network‑security staffing (a security manager and network analyst) to handle endpoint monitoring and critical patching duties; staff noted dozens of daily access attempts and 10–12 weekly high‑level events requiring investigation.
Police hiring was a focal concern. Chief Brago outlined tough recruiting conditions—academy classes have been small, recent nets of applicants were low and the department currently has about nine vacancies plus additional expected attrition that together leave roughly 20 positions unfilled across patrol and support, he said. To counter this, the department offers hiring incentives ($5,000–$10,000 depending on lateral status), is considering limited take‑home vehicle policy changes and is seeking a night‑shift differential to retain employees who work untraditional hours.
Council and staff discussed tradeoffs: pay improvements and shift differentials improve retention but add recurring personnel cost; staff asked council for guidance on which scenarios to fund in the proposed budget.
Representative quote: “We probably need to get our pay up to another level … if we can’t do it in one year, try to do it in two,” Chief Brago said describing recruiting challenges.
Next step: staff will include the above‑current requests in the proposed budget on July 19 and return to council with scenarios showing their cost and funding options.
