Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Atwater council delays proposal to equalize department‑head salaries after public outcry
Summary
Councilmembers voted to postpone action on a staff proposal to equalize public works, finance and HR director salary ranges after extensive public comment raising fiscal, equity and pension concerns; council directed staff to return with more analysis on Sept. 28.
The Atwater City Council voted on Feb. 23 to postpone consideration of a staff proposal to equalize salary ranges for several department-head positions until a Sept. 28 meeting after hours of public comment and council discussion about fiscal impact, equity and long-term obligations.
City management presented a study comparing Atwater to a set of nearby cities and proposed raising salary ranges for finance, human resources and public works directors to align with the community-development director’s current range. Staff said the study surveyed 12 nearby cities and that equalization would make the city more competitive for recruitment; staff also stated that the adjustment fits within the current budget capacity and requires no immediate budget amendment, but acknowledged it is an ongoing cost.
Councilmembers pressed for more complete fiscal analysis, including pension (CalPERS) impacts, benefit comparisons and multi-year sustainability. One councilmember moved—without requesting immediate passage—to return the item with additional detail; the motion to postpone passed on a roll call vote: Raymond yes; Ambry yes; Rochester no; Kale yes.
Public commenters, union representatives and residents raised concerns about the timing and fairness of the proposal. Gary Ferraris, a union representative, criticized the staff memo’s fiscal statement and said, “That is not a fiscal analysis. That is simply an exercise in intellectual gymnastics,” arguing the change would create long-term structural costs and urged a comprehensive financial review before locking in permanent increases.
Other residents said frontline and public-works employees are underpaid and urged the council to prioritize base wages for entry-level and field staff. Supportive remarks for department stability and the need to recruit qualified directors also appeared in the record, but the council majority concluded more analysis was required before any salary changes.
Next steps: the council asked staff to return with a fuller fiscal and benefits analysis and to consider pension and ongoing cost implications prior to further action on salary-range equalization.
