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<br /> <br />study; following the neighborhood meeting, staff will bring the study back to Council for formal <br />consideration and acceptance. <br /> <br />7. Paid On-Call Firefighter Compensation Plan <br />Human Resources and Communications Manager Meg Sawyer presented to Council staff’s <br />proposal for updates to the paid on-call firefighter (POC) pay. She provided background on the <br />history of the POC compensation as well as details of a recent market study of similarly situated <br />cities. <br /> <br />Mayor Rafferty expressed concern with the proposal brought forward by staff, noting that he did <br />not believe it to fill in the blanks that are needed, primarily why recruitment and retention remain <br />low. Council discussed pay scales and schemes for other cities, including yearly or staggered <br />increases to incentivize longer commitments to the POC roles. Council also inquired of pensions; <br />Public Safety Director John Swenson provided information to Council on the PERA pension <br />increases for POC. Staff also provided information to Council on current compensation to POC <br />for certification. <br /> <br />Staff proposed an increase to the starting wage of $19/hour. Following discussion by Council, <br />staff was directed to return to Council at the next Work Session on October 9, 2023 with further <br />options, including a breakdown of starting pay at $20 or $21/hour with annual increases for cost <br />of living and further incentives for five, 10, 15, and 20-year marks. <br /> <br />8. Part-Time Firefighter Compensation <br /> <br />Human Resources and Communications Manager Meg Sawyer advised Council that staff is not <br />recommending any changes to the current compensation plan for part-time firefighters based on <br />research and comparisons conducted by staff. She reviewed the Keystone Job Leveling System <br />ranking of the position, comparisons to similarly situated cities, and advised that based on the <br />reviews conducted by staff, staff sought Council’s agreement to continue with the current <br />compensation plan. Staff confirmed that the current Keystone grade for the position is 110. <br /> <br />Mayor Rafferty inquired as to the Keystone grade for a Community Service Officer (CSO). <br />Manager Sawyer advised that the current grade for CSO is 130. Mayor Rafferty then sought <br />information from Public Safety Director John Swenson as to what a part-time firefighter must do <br />to work in such a position. Director Swenson advised that all are required to obtain certifications; <br />further, that the job has risks and that all are trained to operate emergency vehicles. <br /> <br />Council discussed concerns with the lower grade of part-time fire fighters compared to CSO’s. <br />Councilmember Cavegn noted that he would like to see why CSO’s were graded higher; the rest <br />of Council concurred and Councilmember Stoesz inquired if the grade for part-time fire fighters <br />could be changed. <br /> <br />Staff cautioned Council that simply changing the grade for one position in the City would require <br />the same adjustment to all other positions in the City; City Administrator Sarah Cotton advised <br />54