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Regular City Council Meeting <br />August 14, 2003 <br />Page 10 <br /> <br />on a step and grade pay plan, but within the other departments they can reclassify <br />by moving a position to a higher classification, but you would not want to change <br />the percentage on the overall pay plan because it would wreck all the steps. <br /> <br />Mr. Anderson explained that the step and grade plan has five steps and it takes <br />three years to get up to a five and there is a mathematical amount between each <br />step and grade. He explained that if the Council did not apply the same <br />percentage to all of the steps of all the grades, they might have a case where a <br />grade five, step five is suddenly more than grade seven step four, and it just <br />would not work. <br /> <br />Mr. Anderson discussed the difference in industry and city maintenance with <br />Councilman Plata, comparing them to Kimberly-Clark. Mr. Anderson said that <br />the city cannot compete with private industry on basis of salary because the city <br />cannot afford it. He said the way they try to compete is more in benefit plans and <br />competing with other municipalities. Mr. Anderson said the grade and step plan <br />actually saves money. City Manager Malone said if they want to take any <br />position and make a study and compare with other cities where we are competing <br />for labor you will find that police officers may be paid less than you think is <br />desirable to compete with these other cities. The city can reclassify that position <br />and that has been done in the past and raised their base pay. Mr. Anderson said <br />if the city does that, and makes a gap between a patrolman and a corporal, you <br />are not going to have anyone take the corporal test and move up, and if you make <br />the same mistake with the corporal and sergeant, you will have the same <br />problem. <br /> <br />City Manager Malone said we consider we have a problem if employees are <br />leaving. Another consideration is whether our pay is lower than desirable to <br />retain our employees as compared to cities or agencies that are currently hiring. <br /> <br />Mayor Fendley announced that the City Council would take a 10 minute break <br />at 7:25 P.M. <br /> <br />Mayor Fendley reconvened the meeting at 7:35 P.M. <br /> <br /> <br />