Council raises dept. heads' pay ceilings

The cap would increase by more than $25,000.

By Andrew Denney
June 4, 2008

The Columbia City Council unanimously approved an amendment to this year’s budget to increase salary caps for heads of municipal departments at its semi-weekly meeting Monday.

City Manager Bill Watkins suggested the amendment, which would expand the current salary cap from $129,000 to $155,000.

“I think the folks in this community are awful fortunate to have the caliber of people that we have,” Watkins said. “We’ve got to expand our opening salaries.”

Third Ward councilman Karl Skala said at the meeting that the salary issue would not be lost on the council.

He said concerns for expanding salary caps arose from within city government over the course of the search for a new director of the Columbia Water and Light department, a position that requires post-graduate accreditation.

Fourth Ward councilman Jerry Wade said the issue was indicative of Columbia’s growth into a “complex, full-service city”.

He also said finding competency within city employees comes with increasing wages to make the positions more competitive.

“In the long run, its far cheaper than underpaying and under-funding,” Wade said.

Water and Light employees were in attendance at the meeting to voice their support for the measure.

Water and Light employee Fred Eaton, who spoke at the meeting on behalf of the department’s employees, said the department has had trouble maintaining experienced employees because department salaries have been below market value.

“We’ve lost employees to other employers,” Eaton said. “We understand that is all part of doing business.”

Eaton said while he and other Water and Light workers realize heads of city departments should receive higher salaries, similar changes should be made for other employees in the department.

“We would like to see that come down to us,” Eaton said.

Senior living center proposal tabled

The council also agreed to table a measure that would rezone property on Berrywood Drive to allow the construction of the Silver Oak Senior Living facility. The council held a public hearing before it tabled the measure, and one Columbia resident spoke against rezoning the property.

Aurelle Garnett presented a five-minute video displaying a wooded area on the property that would be destroyed if development moves forward. The video focused on plant life in the forest, and the sound track contained no narration. At the end of the video a statement read, “One more on the agenda for development by the Columbia City Council.”

The council will vote on the legislation to rezone the property June 16.