FAYETTEVILLE -- City employees will get raises on a short-term plan but Mayor Lioneld Jordan, at the request of police and firefighters, will form a committee tasked with planning pay increases in the long term.
The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved dedicating $1.7 million toward pay raises. Most of that money, about $1.2 million, will come from the city's general reserve.
Next meeting
5:30 p.m. March 21
Room 219, City Hall
113 W. Mountain St.
The pay plan balances anticipated growth in revenue from sales tax and surplus with the compounded costs of the raises. The city previously hired Fayetteville-based Johanson Group to do a regional market study to see how the city's pay stack up against 22 comparable cities.
The study found the city lags 11.47 percent when it comes to paying its merit employees, or city workers other than police and fire. It also found the city's pay for firefighters is 12.5 percent behind the regional market and 15.6 percent behind for police officers.
The pay plan the council adopted Tuesday increases merit pay by an average of 4 percent and 6 percent for police and fire, who are on a step-based plan. The pay raises adopt the entire Johanson plan for merit employees and 25 percent of the plan for step employees.
Fire Capt. Jimmy Vinyard asked the council to form a committee tasked with coming up with a plan to keep pay raises in line with the cost of living and prioritize employee pay. Alderman John La Tour expressed support for a similar action.
About two dozen police and firefighters stood up when Vinyard asked them to show support for a committee. Jordan said a motion wouldn't be necessary and he would form one.
Council members Mark Kinion, Adella Gray, Sarah Bunch and La Tour volunteered to represent each ward on the committee. Police and fire representatives will nominate committee members. Also, the council recommended the city's financial experts sit in on meetings. Jordan took notes and will present a plan to form the committee in the coming weeks, he said.
Officer Scott O'Dell, a Fayetteville police detective, pleaded with Jordan to no longer use what's left over to give raises to the city's police and firefighters.
"It's tough to stand here and feel like we are getting the brunt of a policy that doesn't allow us to get paid what we should be getting paid," he said. "You can look at any other thing you want to, but when money is spent on projects in the city that require taking money from the fund, and we don't get paid, to us that's kind of a hit."
The council also voted 7-1 to invest $3.1 million toward construction of TheatreSquared's new venue. The $31.5 million facility will sit across the street from Nadine Baum Studios at Spring Street and West Avenue downtown.
La Tour said he normally would oppose using city money for such an endeavor. But, La Tour said he saw the opportunity as a way to increase the city's revenue, which could then be used to help pay for things such as giving raises to police, firefighters and city workers.
"I may not be doing it for the reasons you like, but I'll do it," he said.
Alderman Justin Tennant cast the sole no vote. He said he wanted more details on the theater's maintenance plan and more time to study the potential return on the investment.
"I think they do a fantastic job with what they do. They're walking very, very well right now," said. "They're asking not just to jog, but to run. They're skipping several steps and it makes me a little uncomfortable on the business model and it makes me a little uncomfortable with the city's commitment and the wording on this document. I'm not convinced that there's not other things we could use this money for that would bring equal-to or greater-than investment."
Under the terms of the agreement the city would own the building and rent it to TheatreSquared without a financial commitment. The city also owns the land the building will sit on and has agreed to a long-term lease renewable up to 100 years.
Jordan referred to a time years ago when the city decided to invest in a performing arts center that later became the Walton Arts Center. City officials had the courage then, Jordan said, to make an investment they knew would become an economic engine for the city and he encouraged the current council to show the same kind of support.
"You can't let the city sit and be stagnant," he said.
NW News on 03/08/2017