AGENDA CAPTION:
Title
Hold discussion regarding the applicability of across-the-board Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) to council appointees.
Body
Meeting date: July 5, 2022
Department: Requested by Mayor Hughson
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Background Information:
There are four employees who report directly to the City Council. These four employees do not receive a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) that most other staff members receive, when funding allows. I do not know how long this practice has been in place. The council has determined their raises based on merit and market.
Civil Service employees, Fire and Police, raises are determined by their contract established through the Meet and Confer process. Other staff members receive raises as is requested through the budget process, except for certain circumstances such as 2020 when the Coronavirus (Covid-19) landed and we knew our budget would take a hit.
Appointees did not receive any type of raise in May of 2020 (first year of Covid) because none of the staff received an increase. However, when due to available funding, we caught up with a small COLA in October of the same year for non-Civil Service staff, the appointees did not receive that increase. The council did allocate raises for the appointees effective May 1, 2021.
All non-civil service employees, except the four council appointees, received a 2% Cost of Living Adjustment in October of 2021, as authorized in the approved FY 2022 budget, and another 2% Cost of Living Adjustment in April of 2022 as authorized by a mid-year budget amendment approved by Ordinance No 2022-24 on April 5, 2022.
I am asking you to consider giving our four (4) appointees the same percent Cost of Living Adjustment that other non-Civil Service staff receive, at the same time as the non-Civil Service employees receive theirs. I am also asking that the council continue to consider making merit or market adjustments for council appointees as council deems appropriate.
I am not asking for change in the schedule for Civil Service employees from the Meet and Confer contract, nor a change for the non-Civil Services employees, per the budget and the City Manager's instructions.
Council Committee, Board/Commission Action:
Council previously discussed this agenda item on May 17, 2022. Council postponed discussion of this item at its regular meeting on June 7, 2022.
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