Everett Salary Commission

Everett Salary Commission Meeting March 19, 2019 Mayor’s Conference Room Those Present: Commission Members: Chris Adams Tony Anthonissen Kevin Sylvester Vickie Norris Abbie Gish Angie Sievers Bobby Thompson City Staff: Elizabeth Smith, Administration Christina Wiersma, Legal Michael Duerr, Human Resources Salary Commission Meeting 3/19/2019 Meeting convened at 12:08 p.m. Commissioner Norris made a motion to approve the minutes as submitted. Commissioner Thompson seconded. The motion carried. Salary Comparison Follow-Up Discussion/Questions The discussion began with a question about clarification of the City’s Retirement Plan. Michael Duerr explained that the City does not have a 401K program, however the City does provide access to a 457 program. For elected and appointive personnel, there is no contribution matching. He further explained that the City participates in the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS), operated by the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, and that the state determines the employer’s share of contributions. The next question was about insurance: Is there an annual rate adjustment or is there a 2-year lock in for the rates? Michael Duerr answered that the City’s self-insured plan is adjusted annually. The yearly adjustment varies, based on plan usage. The Commission agreed to start the discussion with the Judges’ salaries. It was mentioned that the last Salary Commission decided that the State level Salary Schedule should decide the judges’ salary increases. A question was raised as to whether judges will find employment elsewhere if there are no raises. Michael Duerr will look into what’s available for salary information on the State level, and report back to the group.  Everett Salary Commission Meeting March 19, 2019 Mayor’s Conference Room Michael Duerr will seek the methodology the state uses, as well as the history of raises from the state. A commissioner mentioned that our Municipal Court has a large Mental Health Court, more than most other municipalities. Mayor Salary Discussion The Commissioners were informed that the Consumer Price Index for 2019 was 3.3% and the Mayor received a 2% increase in 2017, raising the Mayor’s salary to $188,000. The past 2 years, the raise was under water compared to the increase in the cost of living. Commissioner Anthonissen suggested asking the Mayor if she wants a raise, and suggested the Mayor not get an increase this year due to layoffs and budget issues. It was pointed out that the Mayor inherited the budget deficit, and is working hard to correct it. The majority agreed that the Commissioners are tasked with compensating the elected officials for the work they do and the City needs to stay competitive. A commissioner suggested the increase should be tied to the appointed employees’ increase and asked staff how the appointed increases are decided. Answer: at the Mayor’s discretion. Commissioner Adams moved to increase the Mayor’s salary 2%, to be approved after the final Public Hearing. Commissioner Gish seconded the motion and discussion followed. Commissioner Norris indicated she would like to see a larger increase because if increases have been under the CPI for two years the position should not bear the burden of the fiscal challenge she inherited, and the Mayor’s position should be compensated at a reasonable rate. After discussion, Commissioner Norris recommended the motion be tabled until after the Commission meets to discuss City Council salaries. Commissioner Adams withdrew his motion until further discussion at the next meeting. The meeting adjourned at 1:02.