Minutes 03/31/1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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34- March 31, 1998 all city employees within our proposed pay ranges. To increase the competitiveness of the pay range within our defined market of Nortoik, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Newport News and Hampton, the minimum of our pay ranges will be increased 2%; the maximum of the pay ranges will be increased 12%. The movement at the end of the range willprovide employees whose salaries have exceeded or approached the end of the scale the opportunity for pay increases. The recommendation for general city employees also includes a plan to evaluate city positions against similar positions within the defined market and address those positions that are farthest off the market and lowest paid in the region and adjust the salary ranges during the fiscal year. Sworn Public Safety: An additional area of concern has been the salaries of sworn public safety employees. Salaries of Portsmouth's firemen and police officers are among the lowest in the region, which hampers the recruiting process and allows higher salaries in other cities to attract our officers and officer candidates. In addition, due to significant retirements over the last several years and increases in minimum salaries, salaries have been compressed to the point where a police officer with seven years of experience has the same salary as an officer with two years of experience. This represents one of many issues that must be addressed with respect to public safety salaries. These issues will continue to be defined, and within available resources we can begin to correct these inequities in the upcoming budget year. As a first step in a long-term plan, I am recommending that a separate pay plan be established for sworn fire and police officers. The recommendation this year includes a 3% increase on actual base salaries, the introduction of a separate scale and a one-time adjustment to alleviate some salary compression. Education In 1998 we will see the opening of the new I. C. Norcom High School, a state~ of the art mathematics, science and technology school of which Portsmouth can be very proud. A quality education, though, is much more than bricks and mortar and funding of the school systems instructional programs, mast continue to be a major priority for our City. The General Assembly once again for the 1998-99 fiscal year has provided a substantial increase in school funding. The increase in state funding totals $3.6 million, a 5.3% increase over the prior year. Since 1996-97, total state funding to the schools has increased 8.3% for a total of $5.5 million. The to~al school budget increased 4.5% in the amount of $4.2 million. Education funding to localities is determined by a factor (the composite index) that is derived from a formula based on the economic and financial condition of each locality that calculates the individual Iocality's ability to pay for education. Portsmouth's composite index is one of the lowest and fiscailly stressed in the state and the lowest in the Hampton Roads region. The lower the composite index, the higher the level of state funding. The City Council and School Board have had several meetings over the~last year to discuss the funding challenges that each organization faces in terms !of operating and capital needs. For the overall health of the City to improve, the public education system must remain a high priority. Education and public safety are the two most fundamental services provided by local government. These must be balanced against the expectations of citizens for other cc~re services such as street improvements, safe drinking water and weekly garbage collection.