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Municipal court asks council for targeted raises; council discusses citywide approach
Summary
Municipal court leadership requested pay increases for court staff (options of 5%, 3% or 2%), citing retention and bilingual service needs. Councilmembers responded by favoring a fair, citywide approach (COLA or merit program) and asked staff to return with comparative costs.
Henry, speaking for municipal court staff, presented three options for salary adjustments and asked the council to consider increases to recognize tenure, performance and the rising cost of living. "I'm here on behalf of the municipal court staff to respectfully request your consideration of a pay increase for, the employees who serve our citizens every day," Henry said, listing staff roles and tenure.
Henry said a 5% across-the-department increase would cost about $8,055, while a 3% or 2% increase would be proportionally less. Council members emphasized equity across city departments; one councilmember said singling out a single department could appear unfair and suggested either a citywide COLA or a targeted merit pool based on department needs. Several councilmembers expressed support for raises but noted budget constraints and the need to balance across departments.
Council direction: staff were asked to return with options for distributing limited funds, including a proportional merit increase tied to department size and a separate COLA, and to provide final cost estimates for budget deliberations.
