Employees of Jefferson City to see changes in pay

City employees in Jefferson City will see some changes in pay this year.

Tuesday, ABC 17 news reported the city council accepted two of three recommendations in the recent city-wide classification and compensation study by the Austin Peters Group.

Starting in May, all city employees will now get another 2 percent raise.

The pay of workers who are not making the recommended minimum salary will also be brought up to par.

At the beginning of the Fiscal Year 2017 in November, the council allotted roughly $575,000 in the budget to account for the recommendations.

Tuesday, the council chose to implement the two findings over a six month time frame starting in May, instead of at a sooner date, because it should not cost the city any additional funds outside of the allotted amount.

The council chose to hold off on implementing the third finding, “salary compression”, until the next fiscal year’s budget.

“Since there haven’t been ongoing pay increases every year because of the economy, someone that may have been working here five years is making the same as someone that we just hired last week if they’re hired in at the first step in the range,” Finance and IT Services Director Margie Mueller said.

The salary compression would impact more than 250 employees who may be getting paid the same as newer workers with less experience.

But some council members voiced concerns.

“I don’t think that it’s fair that someone who’s only been here for that short period jumps into that same position and they’re making the same amount of money, so that’s my concern,” Fourth Ward Councilman Carlos Graham said at Tuesday’s meeting.

“In my mind, compression gets us to a point,” City Administrator Steve Crowell responded. “Then from that point on is the merit or performance.”

If the council chose to implement the salary compression over the same six month timeframe this year, it would have cost the city an additional $91,283, according to Crowell in a memorandum.

The city administrator said the city likely would have had to make cuts or under runs to the existing budget to make up for the move.

The city’s last compensation study was completed in 2004.