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Committee recommends 2026 pay increases for part‑time city workers, sends changes to Finance and Taxation
Summary
The Monroe Salary & Personnel Committee voted to recommend updates to 2026 miscellaneous wages for part‑time and seasonal positions — including step changes for volunteer firefighter roles and a $1 increase for pool staff — and forwarded the recommendation to Finance and Taxation for incorporation into the preliminary budget.
The Monroe Salary & Personnel Committee voted to recommend a set of 2026 miscellaneous wage changes for part‑time and seasonal city employees and forwarded the proposal to the Finance and Taxation committee for incorporation into the preliminary budget.
Administrator Rindy, who presented the proposal, said the adjustments target parks and recreation positions and volunteer firefighter pay and are intended to improve recruitment and retention. “A lot of these items that you're gonna be considering tonight are gonna be helpful as we begin or already are beginning drafting the budget and giving us some more set parameters,” Rindy said.
Rindy told the committee that park positions such as lifeguards, the pool manager and cashier are proposed for a $1 increase under a model that rewards returnees with incremental raises. For the fire department, the proposal includes a new step system intended to standardize progression for part‑time and volunteer roles that, Rindy said, “have not seen wage increases in quite some time.”
Fire Chief Rufe described the on‑call history for volunteer command staff and why the department sought a clearer pay structure. “They were getting, you know, dollars an hour… we were asking them to give up roughly 72 hours and commit to a car and very limited mobility,” the chief said, arguing that a more predictable pay structure would help retention.
Committee members asked for details on placement in the new step table, the number of affected employees and how on‑call pay and a third‑shift premium were calculated. Rindy said staff used recent averages to estimate hours for budgeting and that final numbers will be refined as the budget process proceeds.
A motion to approve the 2026 miscellaneous wage rates was moved and seconded; the clerk called the roll and the committee approved the recommendation to send the wage adjustments to Finance and Taxation.
Next steps: Finance and Taxation will review the recommendation and the adjustments will be reflected in the preliminary budget presented later in September; final budget adoption will determine the effective pay changes.
