FAYETTEVILLE -- The city could conceivably change the way it handles giving raises with the formation of a committee that will review employee pay structures.
Representatives of the city's police and fire unions asked Mayor Lioneld Jordan last week to form such a committee during a sometimes tense discussion of a resolution to increase employee pay. Jordan obliged and said he could set up the committee within the coming weeks.
Read the plan
To download the city’s 2017 compensation philosophy, click http://bit.ly/faypa…">here.
The council decided to put $1.7 million, mostly from the general fund reserve, toward citywide pay raises. Merit employees, or city workers other than police and fire, will get an average 4 percent raise. Officers and firefighters, who are on a step pay plan, will get an average 6 percent raise. The raises will take effect in April.
The city hired Fayetteville-based consultant the Johanson Group to conduct a market study to see how employee pay rates stack up against 22 regional cities. The study showed the city's merit employees lag 11.5 percent behind the market rate, while firefighters trail 12.5 percent and police officers are behind by 15.6 percent.
The compensation philosophy the council adopted Tuesday implements 100 percent of the market study for merit employees and 25 percent of the raises for police and fire.
The city calculates what it can give in raises through a combination of available reserves balanced with anticipated growth in sales tax revenue and surplus money, re-evaluating potential raises every year.
Capt. Jimmy Vinyard, president of the local chapter of the International Association of Firefighters, said his fellow uniformed employees want to have a seat at the table when it comes to prioritizing spending.
"They don't have a plan," he said. "It's often expressed as leftover money or the excess money that's being used to make sure this is being maintained."
Vinyard didn't question the findings of the study or express doubt as to whether Jordan and his administration value the city employees. Fayetteville police and firefighters simply aren't getting paid the market rate, and the city should outline a path to get them there, he said.
"I think that Fayetteville citizens expect high efficiency," Vinyard said. "They expect a great quality of life, and I think they expect their employees that provide those services to be not overcompensated but compensated at an appropriate mark."
Cpl. Phillip Lee, who took on his role as president of the local Fraternal Order of Police this year, said he wasn't sure what that pathway might entail but wanted to see an open dialogue emerge where everyone can make their perspectives known. He added he understood the financial limitations a city government can face.
"We don't want to put any undue burden on the city and say, 'Hey, give us our money, and we don't care,'" he said.
Jordan said he welcomed the candid conversations the committee might bring. The city years ago established the Employee Wage and Benefit Committee, but it dissolved after setting the parameters the administration uses today to figure pay increases. Jordan and Chief of Staff Don Marr sat on that committee while they were on the City Council under the leadership of then-Mayor Dan Coody.
As far as who will sit on the new committee, Jordan said he hasn't worked out the details but wants to keep membership under a dozen. He envisioned the committee would consist of representatives of the police and fire unions, the police and fire chiefs, Marr, Chief Financial Officer Paul Becker and four members of the council representing each ward.
"I'll put them all in the same room and turn them loose," Jordan said. "We'll see how it shakes down."
Becker said he had no issue forming the committee but wanted enough time before the first meeting to get a better sense of how the city's revenue is trending.
At Tuesday's meeting, council members Adella Gray, Mark Kinion, Sarah Bunch and John La Tour volunteered to join the committee. La Tour suggested the idea before police and fire representatives spoke on the issue.
"What we're talking about is we're underpaying all of our employees. That's something I don't think any of us like here on this council, no matter what our political stripes," La Tour said. "We want to pay fair compensation for a fair day's work for everybody, particularly when it comes to public safety."
Kinion said he had no preconceived notion about the committee and will wait to see how the discussion unfolds. Bunch said she wanted to see a clear-cut process for raises that's fair and equitable to everyone but doesn't put a strain on the budget that would cut services.
Gray praised any effort to open communication between police officers, firefighters and the city, saying the committee will serve as a good exercise in transparency.
"I want to do anything I can to keep them happy, especially if they're not being treated fairly," she said. "I want to make sure we hear that and take action as much as we can."
NW News on 03/12/2017