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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/26/2026 - Meeting Minutes Meeting Minutes Citizens’ Compensation Advisory Committee January 26, 2026 Members Present: J. Clair Baldwin (Chair) Brandon Dew Tia Larsen Casey Lund Mike Terry David Warnock Members Excused: Leandro Tane (Vice-Chair) Staff Present: Michael Jenson, Senior Compensation Analyst Penny Lopez, Senior HR Technician Lori Gaitin, Benefits Manager David Buchanan, Chief Human Resources Officer Melissa Green, Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer Katherine Kirik, HR Business Partner II Guests: Harrison Long, SLC Firefighters’ Local 81 (IAFF) Jorge Chamorro, Director Public Services A recording of these proceedings is on the file and available for review by request from the SLC-HR department. Meeting Open & Welcome, establish quorum: Chair Baldwin opened the meeting and welcomed attendees. Review & adopt January 12, 2026, meeting minutes: Brandon Dew motioned to approve the January 12, 2026, meeting minutes. David Warnock seconded the motion. Members present voted unanimously to approve the minutes. Public comment: None Review of 2025-26 local area benchmark market pay analysis: Michael reviewed methodologies used for each breakout group and presented the results for the Public Safety custom survey and analysis performed. Methodology Highlights • Non-Represented Breakout Group o Market Median Wage compared to Salt Lake City Median Wage, by classification • AFSCME Breakout Group o Market Median Wage compared to Salt Lake City Topped-Out Rate, as negotiated between the City and Union, by classification. • Public Safety Breakout Group o City Resolution 20 – 2023 ▪ “[E]nsure that the City’s [public safety workgroup] are paid wages commensurate with or close to top of market wages paid by public entities for such occupations in the State of Utah, especially among the State’s largest public safety agencies.” o Committee determined that agencies of 90+ sworn full-time employees were included in the “largest public safety agencies” criteria for comparison. o Only agencies with published wage schedules (step program) were included in comparison. ▪ Comparisons are made against entry rates and topped-out rates. • Categories of comparisons were o Average o Median o Highest Paid Entity • Desired comparison for the report is against the highest paid entity. Public Safety Survey Findings • Twenty-one entities responded, out of Twenty-six that were solicited for participation. • Police o Officer ▪ Highest Paid Entry – West Jordan City ▪ Highest Paid Top – Summit County o Sergeant ▪ Highest Paid Entry – Sandy City ▪ Highest Paid Top – State of Utah o Lieutenant ▪ Highest Paid Entry – Sandy City ▪ Highest Paid Top – Summit County o Commander ▪ Highest Paid Entry – West Jordan City ▪ Highest Paid Top – West Jordan City • Fire o EMT ▪ Highest Paid Entry – Park City Fire Dept. ▪ Highest Paid Top – Park City Fire Dept. o Paramedic ▪ Highest Paid Entry – Park City Fire Dept. ▪ Highest Paid Top – Weber Fire District o Engineer ▪ Highest Paid Entry – West Valley City ▪ Highest Paid Top – Park City Fire Dept. o Captain ▪ Highest Paid Entry – Park City Fire Dept. ▪ Highest Paid Top – Park City Fire Dept. o Battalion Chief ▪ Highest Paid Entry – Park City Fire Dept. ▪ Highest Paid Top – Park City Fire Dept. Clarifications & Discussion • “Topped-out rate” reflects maximum potential pay, not necessarily what employees are current earning. • Open-range agencies (e.g., Lehi City) were excluded due to lack of set wage schedule (step program). • Salt Lake City Entry pay rate for Firefighter Engineer roles are generally not used, comparison was made against the 2-Year rate of current wage schedule in lieu of the Entry Rate comparison Committee discussion of topics and/or recommendations to be included in the Committee’s 2026 annual report: No additional topics were discussed or recommended for inclusion in the Committee’s 2026 annual report. Review initial draft of the Committee’s 2026 Annual Report Michael reviewed the initial draft CCAC report structure, including: • Committee purpose and membership • 2026 Compensation Review & Outlook o Includes a summary of all handouts presented to the committee in prior meetings to help illustrate what the market is doing. ▪ Committee members requested some minor edits to table formatting. o Consensus emerged around recommending a minimum of 3.5% total salary budget increase for 2026. ▪ This includes COLA, merit, and other wage components o Committee Recommendation ▪ Members noted limited data support for recommended increases above 3.5%. ▪ Members also expressed comfort continuing to recommend similar language to the prior year for compensation grade (salary range) adjustments of no less than 2.5%. • Local Area Market Pay Comparison o Includes information about the “market” and how comparisons are made. ▪ Historical recruitment data shows the city primarily draws talent locally and competes with other Wasatch Front employers. ▪ The city is organized into Benchmark groups which are used for comparison to facilitate the review of the city’s overall competitive positioning. ▪ The analysis is displayed into three separate work groups for comparison. • Non-Represented Employees • AFSCME • Public Safety ▪ Committee’s guidelines on determining an individual benchmark job’s compensation competitive positioning relative to the market. ▪ Committee Recommendation • Prior to determining any official recommendation, the committee raised questions regarding whether non- represented employees are falling behind union-represented groups. o Staff indicated that, historically, general increases have aligned between non-represented and AFSCME. o It was acknowledged there are anecdotal concerns from non-represented employees; staff offered to provide historical comparison data. The committee agreed to review the draft report independently and provide feedback by, or at, the next committee meeting. Unfinished Business No additional business was raised. Confirm next meeting The Committee is scheduled to meet again on February 9, 2026, starting at 3:30 PM. Adjourn Meeting A motion to adjourn was made by Brandon Dew and seconded by Mike Terry. With no opposition, the meeting was adjourned at 4:13 PM