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Farmington council adopts 5% compensation schedule for executive officers after debate over merit and council pay
Summary
Council adopted a compensation schedule that totals a 5% increase (2% COLA, 3% merit) and a 0.5% offset for certain Tier 2 pension employees; council discussed merit allocation procedures and whether elected officials should participate in pay increases.
The Farmington City Council on June 16 adopted the proposed compensation schedule for executive municipal officers, approving a 5% total increase described by staff as 2% cost-of-living and 3% merit. Staff also explained a 0.5% adjustment that applies to some employees in the Tier 2 Utah Retirement System (URS) to offset increased employee pension contributions.
Levi, the finance representative, summarized the recommendation: “The 5% represents a 2% COLA, a 3% merit, and that 0.5% is for certain employees who are part of the Tier 2 URS retirement system,” clarifying why some positions show a slightly different net change. Staff explained the city has historically elected to offset pension contribution increases for some employees (notably public safety), but the state restricts coverage for non–public safety Tier 2 costs.
Council members asked procedural questions about how merit is distributed. One councilor said he was uncomfortable voting to increase his own pay while five months into his term; another urged formalizing a review process so the council has appropriate oversight of executive performance. City staff described the evaluation structure: department heads and a budget committee identify prioritized requests, and the mayor participates in a second-round review prior to final recommendations.
Council member Roger moved to adopt the schedule as presented; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously.
The council asked staff to include compensation discussion earlier in the preliminary budget process to allow more deliberation before the annual adjustment.
The council action approves the schedule for executive municipal officers; implementation details and department-level merit distributions will follow internal review procedures.
