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LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES FEBRUARY 18, 1992 3 MIS/ Mottaz/Mayor Johnson - to grant a 3% cost -of living pay increase to all of the city employees retroactive to January 1, 1992 Councilman Williams explained he believes the employees deserve a raise, however, feels a straight cost of living raise is not appropriate. He felt it should be a combination of a cost -of -living raise and a merit related raise. MIS/ Williams/Hunt - to amend the motion to grant a 2% cost of living pay increase to all city employees retroactive to January 1, 1992, and up to a 3% merit increase effective upon completion of performance appraisals by our city administrator, and further, that the Council shall meet as a whole as the personnel committee to review the appraisals and approve the increases. Dick Johnson suggested an amendment to the motion to include the Council acting as a personnel committee should also do a merit review on the city administrator. Discussion followed: Dick Johnson: I called the Research Dept. of the League of MN Cities to assist me on salary ranges for comparable positions for comparable size cities. There is a service available from the league to assist in setting up evaluations. The survey done on the current staff salaries indicated that this city is in the range in all categories with other cities. In some cases female positions are in the bottom of the range. In case of the Building Inspector and the Maintenance Supervisor, they were well within the range. Mottaz: I think it is interesting that you stated it was the female employees that were at the bottom of the scale. I think a goal would be to bring that up to equal. I don't think we should cut back on the cost of living increases because we are going to evaluate the employees and give them a merit increase because you are doing a good job. I don't think a 3% cost of living increase is hardly even fair, much less generous; therefore, amended the motion as followed: M/S/F Mottaz/Mayor Johnson - to amend the motion to grant a 3% cost of living increase and proceed with the merit process allowing up to an additional 3%. (Motion failed: 2- 3: Hunt: I think that a merit increase is a very important part of a persons development and would like to give the ability for a good performance to bring them up to at least the cost of living. All too often people in jobs that get cost of living raises count on it year after year and they lose the work incentive. In today's dwindling budget, we are not able to give an actual cost of living and a merit increase, Dick Johnson, Williams:we should not be aiming to