Cape hires consultant to create city pay plan

A consultant will help Cape Girardeau city officials create a new pay plan designed to provide more competitive salaries to city employees.

The city council voted at a special meeting Friday to hire Condrey & Associates Inc. of Athens, Ga., to develop the pay plan and also look at possible changes in salary and hourly jobs in city government to comply with the new federal regulations.

City manager Doug Leslie said the pay plan will be developed over the next 90 days and be presented to the city council this fall. A new plan could be implemented by January, he said.

Mayor Jay Knudtson said some city residents will question spending $29,500 to develop a new pay plan when it could be done by city staff.

"It quite frankly sounds like a lot of money for a 90-day study," he said.

But Leslie said the city needs an objective, third-party study regarding employee positions and the pay schedule, particularly in light of voter approval Tuesday of a quarter-cent fire sales tax that will result in increased funding for the police and fire departments.

City officials have pledged to use some of the new tax money to raise salaries for police officers in an effort to stem the manpower shortage in the department.

But the pay study will look at all departments and positions in city government and develop a plan that addresses pay for all city employees, not just employees in the police and fire departments, Leslie said.

City officials said none of the money from the city's new fire tax will be spent on the pay study. Leslie said one-time savings from unfilled city positions will pay for the work.

Stores will start collecting the new quarter-cent sales tax in October and sending the money to the Missouri Department of Revenue. The city expects to start receiving the tax money from the state in December or January, Leslie said.

The city hasn't done a thorough salary and benefit study of all city departments in over a decade, Leslie wrote in a letter to the council.

Leslie said it's important to move ahead with the study and development of a new pay plan as soon as possible.

"We could probably do this internally, but it would take much longer," he told the council at the study session held in the city manager's office. Leslie said it would take the city staff up to a year to do the work internally.

He said the consultant's study will involve city employees and help ensure that city workers will have confidence in any new pay plan.

Police chief Steve Strong said an internal study wouldn't be trusted by city employees. "I think this needs to be done by a third party that is unbiased," he said.

Deals with Sears, Kohl's

In other action, the council approved development agreements with Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Drury Land Development Inc. that will allow some city sales-tax revenue to fund public improvements in connection with construction of a new Sears Grand store and Kohl's, a family-oriented department store. Both stores will be built in the commercial area west of Interstate 55 and south of Route K.

As part of a new Sears Grand sign, the company plans to provide a message board that city officials can use to inform the public about community events.

As part of the Kohl's development, a new street will be constructed south of Lowe's home improvement store to provide additional access to the growing commercial area, city officials said.

The council also officially accepted the results of Tuesday's fire sales tax election.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123