Poplar Bluff City Council members will vote later this month on two items that could put more cash in city employees’ pockets.
Non-union city employees have received only two raises in the past eight years.
“I think our employees need to be shown some appreciation,” said city manager Matt Winters, with Mayor Steve Davis, and council members Shane Cornman and Lisa Parson also voicing support during the discussion.
City officials have proposed using part of a COVID relief package from the federal government to put for temporary 3% raises through 2023.
A permanent 2% raise is also included in a contract from the union representing the street, motor pool and cemetery employees.
Council members voted Monday to move both items to the Oct. 18 voting session.
The city has received $1.7 million in 2021 from the American Recovery Plan Act funding and will receive another $1.7 million in 2022, Winters said. Winters is working with departments to come up with a plan for the full amount, but said one use allowed by the federal government is to offer “premium pay” to workers who provided essential work during the pandemic.
Winters has proposed using a total of $650,000 over three years to give staff members temporary raises of 3%.
The funds would be paid out in a lump sum, six months at a time.
Employees would receive the first check the week following the city council vote, Winters said, provided the item is approved.
“It would be regular income, taxable income,” he said. “It would go towards their Lagers (retirement fund) for three years, and hopefully by that time, we’ll be in a better position financially to make this a permanent thing...
“They haven’t had a raise in a while, and I think this is a way to go about doing that.”
Since 2013, non-union city employees have received a total of two raises: 2% in 2016; and 3% in 2018. This includes police, fire, cemetery, motor pool and street department staff members who are paid through the general fund, as well as those paid through the Black River Coliseum, municipal airport and Margaret Harwell Art Museum funds.
Union employees in the same departments typically receive raises similar to that of non-union employees paid by these funds.
Pay and union contracts for Municipal Utilities are negotiated separately and paid for from that fund. Those employees were scheduled to receive annual raises of 4% since 2017.
Members of the union representing street department, motor pool and cemetery employees have agreed to a contract that would be good until Dec. 31, 2022, if approved by council. These employees would receive the 3% premium pay for 2021-2023, and have asked for a 2% permanent raise at the end of that time. They have also requested a uniform allowance.
The group is represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 702.
The council is also expected to vote at the next council meeting on a request by Natria, LLC to annex into the city property located west of the northern portion of Shelby Road. The owners are planning future development of the property, Winters said.