Motley City Council discusses pay scale and step structure

The Motley City Council will wait to discuss making changes to the city’s employee pay scale/step structure until their regular meetng in February.

This was a decision made at a special meeting Jan. 23, which had been scheduled to discuss this issue, as well as to approve the consent agenda.

After approving the consent agenda (which included payroll, paid claims and outstanding claims), Mayor Al Yoder suggested the council close the special meeting and hold a work session instead.

During the work session, the council looked over the city’s current pay scale, as well as its current step structure, which has been in place since Jan. 1, 2015. They also discussed a potential two-percent raise for 2016 as well as 2017 and reviewed the pay structure wages with the two-percent included for each year. Due to ongoing labor negotiations, no changes to the pay structure have been made since 2015.

Mayor Yoder said he had received a letter from the city attorney, Rinke Noonan, regarding this issue. The letter included correspondence from union representative Ginger Thrasher, which included the proposed step structures, as well as the two-percent increases for 2016 and 2017.  

In a later conversation, Yoder indicated that the city attorney felt the numbers from the revised step scales (provided by Thrasher) are correct and that the city is very close to getting a settlement. 

During their discussion, the council indicated they understood pay steps; but needed some clarification on pay grades.

They also voiced their support for city employees being given deserved raises (and in some cases, pro-rated compensation); but, agreed with council member Amy Hutchison, that before these raises are given, “we need something in black and white” so that it is fair for all employees.

Mayor Yoder encouraged the council to take the proposals home and study the numbers. They will discuss this issue again at their next regular meeting Feb. 13.