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Hurricane council weighs bigger pay increases to retain staff
Summary
Council members pressed staff to raise the draft 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment to 4% or higher and debated whether to add a merit component, citing neighboring cities’ increases and staff retention concerns.
Council members debated how much to increase employee pay after staff built a 3% cost‑of‑living (COLA) placeholder into the draft budget and produced a comparison showing neighboring cities offering higher increases. Staff described the budget mechanics and modeled both 3% and 4% scenarios, noting the additional cost to the city’s payroll lines.
“Like, we can still stay at the 3%, and we can do that,” a staff presenter said, explaining the conservative option; several council members pressed for a higher number to improve retention. “And it sounds like the 4% will really help with retention,” a councilmember said during the discussion, urging a larger COLA or an added merit component.
Council members also discussed whether the pay increases should be strictly a COLA tied to inflation, or a COLA-plus‑merit approach that would direct some funds to better performers. Staff said the administration can model a combined option and return revised numbers: “If the council is in favor of going higher, we can make some adjustments to make that work,” the staff presenter said.
Next steps: staff will run updated scenarios (including a 4% or 4.5% option and a COLA-plus‑merit model), update the spreadsheet and circulate refined totals before the next workshop. No formal vote was taken at the workshop.
