New Bern’s employees filled the benches at City Hall during the board of aldermen meeting last night to hear whether they would receive the second half of their raise along with a 3% cost of living and 2% merit increase.
The BOA voted 6-1 to approve the increases with Mayor Jeffrey Odham voting against the decision.
The cost of COLA and Merit combined is $1,359,827 which will come from the general fund with a tax rate of $0.38.
A loud round of applause followed the vote.
City workers and supporters told New Bern Now they urged board members to approve the increases. It appears their voices were heard. Two weeks ago, the majority of the board wanted to wait until the end of the year to see how much the sales tax revenue was prior to deciding on COLA and Merit increases.
Background
Last year, the city paid Piedmont Triad Regional Council $20,000 to conduct a salary market study. PTRC identified 458 employees who were underpaid by 5%, 10% or 15% compared to other cities. Instead of approving PTRC’s recommendations, employees received an increase of 3%, 6% and 10%. According to a memo from Finance Director Kim Ostrom, two positions were downgraded and received a 1% bonus. “Part-time workers weren’t included in the pay increase calculation.” The board of aldermen approved the city’s recommendation noting they would reexamine the pay scale this year.
Wendy Card, co-editor. Send an email with questions or comments.
Previous articles: Board of Aldermen approve salary increase, city employees still underpaid; City of New Bern’s workforce is underpaid