Jackson city employees could see pay increases under proposed salary schedule

Many of Jackson’s 130 city employees could see larger paychecks next year if the city adopts a proposed salary schedule presented during the Jackson Board of Aldermen study session Monday night.

Jackson city administrator Jim Roach estimated the salary schedule, proposed by a wage and benefits consulting firm the city engaged to study its existing pay scales, would mean average wage increases “of about 10%” for city employees. However, he emphasized the city staff will have to study the consultant’s recommendation to see whether it can be accommodated in the city’s 2020 budget.

The wage study was done by The Labor Management Advisory Group of Kansas City, Missouri, which has performed similar studies for Jackson every three years since the 1990s.

“My client cities like Jackson know they have to invest in their employees and assure them that their salary and benefits plan is current, has been reviewed and is fair and equitable,” John Cohen, president of The Labor Management Advisory Group, told the aldermen.

In conducting the study, Cohen said he compared the city of Jackson’s job titles and salaries with several other Missouri communities, including Moberly, Cape Girardeau, Sikeston, Perryville, Fulton, Crestwood, Farmington, Nixa, Kennett and Mexico, to see how they compared.

By and large, Cohen said Jackson’s wages are similar to those paid by other municipalities for comparable positions.

“You’re always right down the center,” he told the aldermen. “You’re not low and you’re not high. You’re not out of balance in any way.”

However, Cohen said state- and federally-mandated increases in the minimum wage, combined with competition from the private sector and other factors, are forcing many municipalities to adjust their salary schedules upward. Jackson may be forced to do the same to remain competitive.

“Besides competing with nearby cities, whether they’re larger than us or the same size, we often compete against the private sector, particularly with some of our public works jobs,” Roach said.

Two of the biggest pay increases called for in the salary proposal would impact Jackson police and public utility employees. If adopted, the starting annual salary for an entry-level patrol officer would be $36,255, which would be several thousand dollars higher than the current salary.

“That’s considerably higher than what the current salary for a starting patrolman in now,” Roach said. “And for an electric lineman, the starting salary would be $43,404 and that’s a pretty significant adjustment.

The current starting salary for that position is around $33,000 or $34,000, he said.

The aldermen took the wage scale proposal under advisement.

“The next step is for (assistant city manager) Larry Koenig and I to sit down and figure out what it would cost to implement this proposal and make sure we can accommodate it in the budget,” Roach said. “I believe we can, but I won’t know for sure until we go through the process. If we don’t think we can, we’ll come back and have another conversation.”

Roach said the aldermen will consider the city’s 2020 operating budget in December.

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Other Jackson Board of Aldermen business

In addition to the city employee wage, salary and benefits survey, other matters discussed by the Jackson aldermen during their study session Monday night included:

• An update on the Jackson police station building project.
• A $268,800 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that Jackson Fire Rescue applied for last October and was recently awarded to provide training for technical rescue team members in Jackson, Cape Girardeau and Sikeston, Missouri.
• Testing procedure changes for the city’s storm siren warning system.
• A request for improvements to sections of North Oak Hill Road and Ridge Road.
• An update on the East Main Street water line and pavement improvement project.
• A regional marketing program related to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 census.

During the board’s business meeting, the aldermen:

• Approved a motion to accept a 2020 employee insurance benefit plan as proposed by United Healthcare Services Inc. of Maryland Heights, Missouri.
• Accepted a bid from ABCreative Inc. of De Soto, Kansas, in the amount of $36,000 for replacement of Pavilion No. 5 in City Park, which was damaged beyond repair in a storm June 28. The aldermen also approved a motion to accept a $16,000 donation from the Optimist Club of Jackson, which will be applied to the cost of the new pavilion.
• Accepted a utility easement deed from Greenbrier Central LLC, relative to the city’s South Farmington Road electric line extension project.
• Authorized an agreement with Cape Girardeau County related to the collection of property taxes for the City of Jackson.
• Approved an ordinance calling for a municipal election to elect Board of Aldermen members April 7, 2020.
• Approved a task order authorizing a payment of $18,140 to HR Green of Chesterfield, Missouri, relative to the city’s separate storm sewer system permit program.
• Approved an ordinance revising truck routes in Jackson.

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