Proposed Columbia city budget includes pay raises for some
Columbia’s interim city manager said Friday that his proposed fiscal 2020 budget will include pay raises for some city employees but said stagnant sales tax collections continue to dog city finances.
Interim City Manager John Glascock discussed those and other challenges when he introduced the budget Friday at City Hall, including the need to hire and maintain qualified employees through better pay and the continued decline in local sales tax due to increased online shopping.
Live playback of the announcement can be found in the player below.
Glascock said there are 169 open positions out of the 1,500 positions in city government. He proposed increasing starting salaries for some of jobs the city continues to struggle to fill, including refuse collectors and equipment operators.
Glascock hopes the proposed new pay guidelines below will attract applicants and retain employees.
$16.50 per hour for equipment operators $17 per hours for refuse collectors The greater of $18.70 per hour or promotional increase for senior refuse collectors.
Glascock is also recommending a starting pay rate of $33.145 per hour for police sergeants.
Glascock asked each department to cut spending by 5 percent to make room in to budget for the new pay plan. The departments found $4.2 million in budget cuts
The 2020 fiscal year budget will go into effect Oct.1 after city council review and passage. Glascock’s proposal includes eliminating 11 current positions and adding 14 new positions.
Several public hearings over the budget are planned in August and September:
Monday, Aug. 19 at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m.
The city council will have a budget work session at 9 a.m. Aug. 26 in the council chambers.
