Translate[Archived] Question #18: What public safety pay adjustments were implemented in the last five years? How does Public Safety pay compare to other jurisdictions?
Question:
What public safety adjustments were implemented in the
last five years?
Response:
FY 2019 Proposed Budget
Career Ladder Elevations
- The budget includes funding for 58 unique elevations at a cost of approximately $1.0 million per year for general scale and public safety career ladders.
Public Safety Recruitment and Retention
- The
budget includes $1.5 million in a non-departmental contingent to enhance public safety recruitment and retention capabilities.
Merit Increase
Employees (general and public safety) other than those at the end of the pay scale are eligible for a merit-based pay increase ranging from 2.3% to 5.0% of salary grade and step. Approximately $5.0 million is included for merit-based pay increases in FY 2019.
FY 2018 Approved Budget
Dual-Role Incentive
Pay
Frontline employees and new recruits who had or earned dual-role status and were performing those duties, received a $5,000 retention bonus and an additional $5,000 in annual incentive pay broken out per pay period over the course of a year for every year that employee maintained their dual-role status.
Supervisory staff received a one-time $3,500 bonus upon attainment of dual-role certification and also received an annual added pay of $3,500 to incentivize them to achieve and maintain dual-role certification.
The amount budgeted for frontline employee and supervisory staff incentives was approximately $396,000.
Career Ladder Elevations
The budget included $544,000 for potential elevations within existing career ladders for general scale and public safety employees.
Merit Increase
Approximately $5.0 million (general and public safety) was included for merit-based pay increases ranging from 2.3% to 5.0%.
The budget also included $0.8 million for the addition of a new step at the top of the payscales.
FY 2017 Approved Budget
Career Ladder Elevations
Fire: City Council approved the completion of the Fire career ladder expansion to include the Firefighter III and Medic III levels, with a total cost of approximately $272,000.
Market Rate Adjustment (MRA)
Fire MRA: City Council approved a 2.5% MRA to the Fire pay scale to bring it to the average of the market. The total cost of the Fire pay scale MRA was $491,000.
- Fire Reclassification: City Council
approved a one-grade increase (5%) for all Fire Lieutenants, Captains,
Battalion Chiefs, and Deputy Chiefs to bring the job classes to or near
the market average. Previously, the Fire supervisory job classes were
between 7% to 11% behind the comparator market average. The total cost of
the fire reclassifications was $448,000.
Merit Increase
Approximately $5.1 million (general and public safety) was included for merit-based pay increases ranging from 2.3% to 5.0%.
FY 2016 Approved Budget
Career Ladder Elevations
Fire: The budget included a net $167,500 to fund the expansion of the Fire Departments career ladder program.
Market Rate Adjustment:
Police: The budget included $2.0 million to align police officer pay to the average of the comparator market and enhance the City’s ability to recruit and retain top talent. The funding provided a 4.5% market rate adjustment to the Police Pay scale providing equivalent pay increases to all sworn positions.
- Entry Level Officers: Additional 5%
targeted pay adjustments for entry officers and lieutenants was also
funded.
Merit Increase
Employees (general and public safety) were eligible for a merit-based pay increase ranging from 2.3% to 5.0% of salary grade and step. Approximately $4.6 million was approved for merit-based pay increases in FY 2016. The FY 2016 approved budget did not include a top-of-grade bonus for employees at the top step of the pay scales.
FY 2015 Approved Budget
Career Ladder Elevations
The budget included $300,000 to enhance the City's career ladder program and address pay compression issues among sworn Public Safety personnel.
Merit Increase
All City (general and public safety) employees were eligible for a merit-based pay increase ranging from 2.3% – 5.0% of salary grade and step. Approximately $4.6 million was budgeted for merit-based pay increases in FY 2015. The budget did not include a top-of grade bonus for employees at the top step of the pay scales.
FY 2014 Approved
Budget
Career Ladder
Elevations
The City allocated an additional $900,000 to enhance the career ladder program for General Schedule employees and to bring the Fire Department’s Firefighters, Medics, and Deputy Fire Marshal’s salaries more in line with the market, as part of the initial phase to expand the Department’s career ladder program.
Merit Increase
The budget included $3.6 million for the merit-based pay increases for eligible (general and public safety) employees. The budget also included $0.4 million in funding for a 2.3% one-time pay supplement (the equivalent of one step) for all employees at the top of their grade if warranted by performance. Employees eligible on a merit basis for a pay increase received salary increases ranging from 2.3% – 5.0% of salary.
Question:
How does Public Safety pay compare to
other jurisdictions?
Response:
The Public
Safety Workgroups met and reviewed comparator information. City Council has
been provided the
information. There have been significant efforts recently from neighboring jurisdictions
to increase starting pay, change scheduled hours, and in some cases, accelerate
multi-year public safety pay plans. As
such, the City needs to improve pay for Police, Fire, and Sheriff but the
Public Safety Work Groups recommended an across-the-board
increase cost of at least $5.47 million which is
significantly more than the $1.5 million set aside in the budget, which points
to a multi-year solution. It should be noted, as stated at the Compensation Budget Worksession, that the Public Safety Work Group's
work is not completed as there are other areas of study needed to fully figure
out how to improve public safety recruitment and retention capabilities over the long term.