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Council sends public-safety pay-structure change back to staff for retroactive cost analysis
Summary
After months of implementing a new compensation plan, councilmembers asked staff to recalculate proposed public-safety pay-structure adjustments as if effective July 1, 2024, citing fairness concerns; staff estimated the immediate implementation cost and said a full retroactive calculation will require more time.
Mayor Pro Tem Middleton said the council would consider a staff recommendation to adjust pay structures for certain police and fire positions after the class-and-compensation implementation revealed instances of "bypassing" where employees ranked below others received higher pay.
Jim Raungruber, assistant director of human resources, told the council the review found patterns of bypassing in both fire and police ranks and that staff’s proposal includes minor structure changes — for example a 0.7% adjustment to the fire-driver pay grade — that would correct identified disparities. He said staff had calculated the cost of implementing the new structure going forward, with an effective date proposed of Jan. 11.
Council members pressed for more: several asked whether the city could make pay adjustments retroactive to the start of the fiscal year. Council member Bruce and others flagged fairness to employees who were bypassed and asked if back pay to July 1 could be calculated. Raungruber said the administrative work would be substantial because a retroactive change requires recalculating overtime, promotions and other pay actions for roughly 196 affected employees.
Raungruber provided an initial base estimate of about $95,000 tied to the immediate proposal and an annualized figure near $188,000 for the full year, but he said a full retroactive calculation would require additional staff time. City Manager Paige told the council staff could perform the calculations but not within the work-session timeframe and recommended referring the item back for a detailed analysis.
After discussion, the council directed staff to return to the administration with a recalculation as if the adjustments were effective 07/01/2024. The item was sent back to staff for that analysis rather than being approved on the spot.
What happens next: Staff will perform the retroactive calculation and return to council with a revised dollar figure and analysis of budgetary impacts and administrative implications; no final pay changes were approved at the Dec. 5 work session.
Attribution: Jim Raungruber, assistant director of human resources; City Manager Paige; Council members Cook, Bruce and Freeman.
