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Council presses for higher pay increases as manager proposes 3.5% raise
Summary
City Manager proposed a 3.5% general wage increase and a 1.5% scale adjustment; multiple council members urged the manager to pursue a 4% increase for civilian employees to align with school raises and improve retention.
City Manager Mary Bunting proposed a 3.5% general wage increase for civilian employees in the manager's recommended budget and a 1.5% scale adjustment to address pay compression; she also proposed covering an expected 4.5% rise in health premiums at 100%.
Bunting said staff were "able to propose a 3.5% general wage increase for our our general workforce." Several council members—including Councilwoman Mugler, Council member Fervy, Councilwoman Bowman, Council member Mowgli, and Council member Harper—expressed support for a 4% general wage increase and urged staff to explore options and goal-setting to move toward higher regional comparators. The mayor and manager signaled willingness to examine longer-term compensation strategies beyond this budget cycle.
Council discussion also touched on the regional comparators and recruitment needs for public safety and other city services; Bunting noted the city has previously implemented a public-safety step plan and described the proposed civilian pay adjustments as an incremental step to address compression. Council will have further opportunity to weigh trade-offs at upcoming hearings and budget readings.
