Hewitt reviews proposed 2026 incentive pay scale; city would pay most training costs

Hewitt — Human Resources Director Jessica Higgins presented a proposed 2026 incentive pay schedule to the Hewitt City Council on June 15 that would reorganize incentives by department, keep certification pay out of base salary and require continuing education to retain incentives.

Higgins said the revised schedule groups incentive opportunities by department and maintains four incentive levels; employees who obtain required certifications would receive a non-base incentive so the pay is removed if the certification lapses. "We only allow one," Higgins said when asked whether employees could stack multiple incentive pays, meaning an employee would receive the highest applicable incentive rather than cumulative payments.

Higgins told the council the city pays for most training tied to certifications and noted the city already supports academies and large training costs (police and fire academies) with payback agreements for some hires. She said about 66 employees currently participate in the incentive-pay program and staff hope to expand participation among full-time employees over time.

Council members asked whether certifications that are minimum job requirements would be built into base pay (staff said yes) and whether the city would offer tuition reimbursement for degrees (staff said the city does not currently offer college tuition reimbursement). On payback agreements, Higgins said the city requires service commitments for academy-level training and recoupment provisions if an employee leaves before the agreed period.

Next steps: staff will refine the schedule and present a finalized ordinance or budget amendment for council consideration as part of the fall budget cycle, with a target effective date of Oct. 1 if adopted.