By Mark Wineka
mwineka@salisburypost.com
Almost a third of Salisbury city employees are being paid at rates below the minimum recommended for their positions, according to preliminary findings of a market study on salaries.
Trying to bring the pay of city employees up to par with their counterparts elsewhere in the region could range in costs from $493,750 to $952,048, depending on how far City Council would want to go.
John Maxwell, senior vice president of the Springstead consulting firm, said his company surveyed the pay of 12 different government entities in the region ó mostly municipalities ó and evaluated every job within Salisbury’s organization. His final report is expected in about a month.
But Maxwell shared his major findings with council Friday, the last day of the city’s annual goal-setting retreat.
Maxwell said 32 percent of Salisbury’s employees are paid at a rate below the minimum salary recommended for their positions.
Public safety positions ó fire and police ó are especially a problem, Maxwell said. Some key professional positions also are lagging behind in terms of pay, he said.
Just to bring everybody up whose existing salaries are below the recommended minimum would cost $493,750, Maxwell said.
But if that were to happen, the city would run into a salary compression problem, Maxwell said.
There would not be enough separation between employees with experience and people just joining the workforce in the same or similar positions.
To institute the recommended minimum salaries and make salary adjustments to avoid salary compression problems would cost $848,000.
The best option to cover all discrepancies, including better compensation for years of service, would cost a total of $952,048.
“The challenge, obviously, is to find the resources,” Maxwell said.
Mayor Susan Kluttz said city officials expected they would “hear something like this” from the market survey.
Councilman Bill Burgin asked whether Maxwell thought needed salary adjustments could be implemented over a three-year period.
“I wouldn’t go any more than three,” Maxwell said.
Asked how Salisbury’s benefits package compares, Maxwell said it’s competitive and he would recommend no changes.
The governments surveyed included Albemarle, Concord, Hickory, High Point, Huntersville, Kannapolis, Monroe, Morganton, Mooresville, Statesville, Rowan County and the Cabarrus County Water-Sewer Authority.
Councilman William “Pete” Kennedy said the city employees who have stayed with Salisbury despite the lower pay should be commended for their loyalty.