City Council Meetings

MINUTES OF THE Steve Washburn WATERTOWN CITY COUNCIL Deborah Everson Workshop Meeting Tuesday, January 14, 2020 Lindsay Guetzkow Adam Pawellk Michael Walters 1. Call to Order and Roll Call Vice-Mayor Mike Walters called the Watertown City Council Workshop to order at 5:31 p.m. Tuesday, January 14, 2020 in the Council Chambers of City Hall. Council Members present: Walters, Deborah Everson, Lindsay Guetzkow, and Adam Pawelk. City Staff present: City Administrator Shane Fineran and Clerk/Treasurer Lynn Tschudi. Guest: Dr. Tessia Melvin of David Drown and Associates 2. New Business A. Organization & Pay Philosophy Study City Administrator Shane Fineran stated that the city has been deliberate at planning for the future and believes it is important to plan for staffing needs as well. Fineran said as the employment market tightens, employers need to stay competitive with their pay and benefits. The city is looking to hire a consultant to determine the benchmark, write new job descriptions, and create a pay philosophy. Tessia Melvin from David Drown & Associates gave council background on her company and the process they would take for the pay philosophy study. Pawelk asked if the six week staffing study is a little excessive. Melvin stated that a lot of the time is spent on-site completing interviews with staff and council. Guetzkow asked if there is an existing database of comps available. Melvin said they use demographics, fiscal disparities, population, region, and anything else that can be helpful. Guetzkow noted the uniqueness of Watertown’s job market due to location. She asked Melvin what is included in this study being that it is not a “full” study. Melvin explained what calibrations would be made based on the general pay scale. Everson asked what job descriptions will be analyzed. Melvin said the leads will be looked at first, then look at the jobs underneath as well as what the market dictates. Everson asked if there would be any recommendation for addition of staff. Melvin said yes, that is what being on-site will help them determine as well. Walters said that in the past there have been many pay freezes at the city, leading to low employee morale. Walters asked for a breakdown of the fee charged by David Drown & Associates. Melvin explained what is included in the $9,000 fee. Council discussed the benefits and drawbacks to completing the study. Pawelk noted this study will be useful when discussing staffing for the future waste water treatment facility. 3. Adjournment Walters adjourned the workshop at 6:19 pm. Page 1 of 1