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Council approves $20 starting pay for crossing guards, adds tenure-based salary guide
Summary
Brooklawn council voted to set crossing-guard starting pay at $20 per hour and instructed staff to include a tenure-based salary guide in the forthcoming salary ordinance, after residents and councilors warned of recruitment and safety risks if pay remains at $16.
Brooklawn Borough Council voted to set a $20-per-hour minimum starting wage for crossing guards and asked staff to include a tenure-based salary guide in the salary ordinance to be considered at the next meeting. The motion passed on a recorded voice vote after extensive discussion about recruitment, the age of current guards and coverage concerns.
A resident who spoke during public comment described a recent incident in which a vehicle parked at the edge of their driveway nearly blocked their entry: “I literally almost could not park into my driveway,” the resident said, urging council to address parking and safety that affect school drop-off and crossing-guard duties. Councilors tied those safety concerns to compensation, saying low pay may make it difficult to retain guards.
Council members debated the size of the increase and whether to phase raises or set a range. Council discussion noted that some neighboring towns pay higher rates — comments that framed the $4-per-hour rise from $16 to $20 as both a market adjustment and a retention measure. Officials emphasized the limited hours these positions entail (roughly two hours per day) while also stressing the difficulty of filling the posts if pay remains low.
Because the salary ordinance covers many positions, councilors agreed to add a salary-range structure that would allow new hires to start at the established minimum and move up over time. One council member moved, “All crossing guards could be $20 an hour and we establish a tenure-based salary guide,” and the motion carried.
Vote record as stated in the transcript: council person McConnell — yes; council person Platworthy — yes; council person Alon — yes; council president O — yes; council president Daro — yes; council president McAdams — yes. The council president said he would place the salary-range language into the ordinance for the next agenda.
Next steps: staff will draft and place the salary ordinance (with the new crossing-guard minimum and proposed tenure guide) on the next council meeting agenda for formal introduction and subsequent readings. The ordinance process, not the work-session discussion, will finalize pay changes and any effective dates.
