Council accepts
employee pay plan, but will revisit the results
By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com
One major reason given for
Peachtree City's 11.8-percent budget increase was the recommended pay
raises set forth in the city's new pay plan.
The salary study, performed by The Mercer Group, calls for raises totalling
$493,876 for the city's 211 employees. Over half of the employees 127
had salaries below the market-adjusted pay grade according to that recommendation
for raises.
The study evaluated each employee's job duties and compared city salaries
to those offered by other municipalities and five private companies.
The city council voted to proceed with implementing the salary study at
its meeting last week. However, council members Annie McMenamin and Carol
Fritz expressed concern about how much influence city staff had on the
pay plan's outcome.
The pay study also provided a smaller schedule of raises that would have
cost $326,686. But Mayor
Bob Lenox said that would give the employees the "average" pay
when they are actually "excellent employees."
The final cost of the pay plan isn't finalized, however, since employees
will have a chance to appeal the recommendations of the Mercer Group.
While several council members expressed hesitations about the pay plan,
Lenox said council shouldn't look at each individual position and try
to influence the final outcome.
"The important thing is, do we have the right process here?"
Lenox said.
Lenox said he thought the pay plan was more sophisticated and flexible
than the city's current salary structure.
Fritz said she wanted more time to digest the information in the pay plan
paperwork.
"On one hand, I feel like I'm being told it's none of my business,"
Fritz said at one point during the discussion of the pay study.
Council unanimously agreed to accept the pay study and revisit the matter
at its first meeting in October to give employees time to file their appeals.
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