16 - Ordinance Amending Section 12-5 Seniority Pay of Chapter 12 Fire Prevention and Protection

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Item No. 16 memorandum TO: City Council John Godwin, City Manager FROM: Thomas McMonigle, Assistant Fire Chief SUBJECT: AMENDMENT TO CITY ORDINANCE 12-5 DATE: January 29, 2019 BACKGROUND: Under civil service, base pay for firefighters is required to be the same amount regardless of tenure. In 2014, seniority pay was granted by City Manager and Council for firefighters as an incentive for firefighters to remain with the department. The ordinance created service steps for increases based on years of service to the City. The following budget year, seniority pay was adjusted to mirror the plan already in place for the Police Department. Seniority pay is the only option for any increase associated with time in grade to promote longevity in the department. STATUS OF ISSUE: The 2018-2019 Budget was approved with a compression of these steps for police patrol officers to allow an officer to attain the maximum seniority pay at 11 years' service instead of 20 years. This change was effective January 1, 2019. The change allowed a pay increase at 2 years with the last increase attained at 11 years' service. No immediate plan was in place to similarly compress the steps for firefighters. In light of similar retention issues between the two departments, research was done to determine cost and feasibility of adjusting firefighter steps in the same manner and once again mirroring the plan in place for the Police Department. BUDGET: The projected cost to implement this change is $9,000.00 from the current 2018- 2019 budget. RECOMMENDATION: Amend the ordinance to reflect the requested changes.