HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 12/21/2021 - SECOND READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 169, 2021, AMENDINItem # 1 Page 1
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Agenda Item 20
December 21, 2021
City Council
STAFF
Jamie Heckman, Compensation Consultant
Jenny Lopez Filkins, Legal
SUBJECT
Second Reading of Ordinance No. 169, 2021, Amending the Code of the City of Fort Collins Pertainin g to
Adoption of the Classified Employees Pay Plan.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City Manager and City Attorney have requested that Council postpone this Ordinance indefinitely or vote
to defeat the Ordinance on second reading, because the Charter requires that compensation be set by
ordinance rather than by resolution. The Collective Bargaining Agreement is approved by resolution while the
pay plan is adopted by ordinance, so acting each year to adopt the pay plan for the Collective Bargaining Unit
is appropriate considering this Charter provision.
This Ordinance, adopted on First Reading on December 7, 2021 by a vote of 6 -1 (Nay: Ohlson), amends City
Code to allow the pay plan for classified police employees (as defined in Fort Collins Municipal Code Section
2-618) to be established in accordance with any collective bargaining agreement reached with an employee
organization selected by such police employees and approved by Council.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on Second Reading.
ATTACHMENTS
1.First Reading Agenda Item Summary, December 7, 2021 (w/o attachments) (PDF)
2.Ordinance No. 169, 2021 (PDF)
Agenda Item 18
Item # 18 Page 1
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY December 7, 2021
City Council
STAFF
Jamie Heckman, Compensation Consultant
Jenny Lopez Filkins, Legal
SUBJECT
Items Relating to the 2022 Classified Employee Pay Plan.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A. First Reading of Ordinance No. 168, 2021, Adopting the 2022 Classified Employee Pay Plan.
B. First Reading of Ordinance No. 169, 2021, Amending the Code of the City of Fort Collins Pertaining to
Adoption of the Classified Employees Pay Plan.
The purposes of these items are to recommend the 2022 City Classified Employee Pay Plan and to amend City
Code pertaining to the adoption of the classified employees pay plan. Classified jobs are grouped according to
job functions, a business practice commonly used by both the public and private sectors. Pay ranges are
developed by career group (management, professional, administrative, operations and trades) and level for each
job function. The result of this work is a City Classified Employee Pay Plan which sets the minimum, midpoint
and maximum of pay ranges for the level, within each career group and function. Actual employees pay increases
are awarded through a separate administrative process in accordance with the budgeted amount approved by
Council.
The ordinance making amendments to the City Code will allow the pay plan for classified police employees (as
defined in Fort Collins Municipal Code Section 2-618) to be established in accordance with any collective
bargaining agreement reached with an employee organization selected by such police employees and approved
by Council.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends adoption of both Ordinances on First Reading.
BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION
OPEN PAY RANGES
The City utilizes a common compensation methodology to assess jobs, combine them into job functions and
establish pay range structures. The result of this work which sets the minimum, midpoint and maximum of pay
ranges for the levels within each career group and function.
Pay ranges are reviewed annually as part of a comprehensive market pricing analysis. Pay ranges are grouped
and driven by job functions, that are based upon findings of a recruiting analysis conducted to determine where
positions are typically sourced. Pay range midpoints are determined by looking at aggregate market data for
positions or groups of positions and rolled up to a median of the market for functional groupings, with high and
low outliers removed.
ATTACHMENT 1
COPY
Agenda Item 18
Item # 18 Page 2
Jobs for which there is no external benchmark are evaluated and placed in the Pay Plan using a job evaluation
system that is calibrated against benchmark jobs.
Individual salary placement in a pay range is based on an employee’s knowledge, skills, abilities, performance,
and experience, paired with internal equity considerations and budget availability to ensure horizontal alignment
across the City.
Market Data Sources
Employers Council - Colorado Benchmark Compensation Survey
Employers Council - Information Technology Survey
Employers Council - Public Employers Compensation Survey
Willis Towers Watson - General Industry Compensation Survey
Recommended Open Pay Range Structure Adjustments
As a result of the market analysis, staff is recommending changes to open pay ranges, varying from 0% - 7%
depending upon job function and career group. Additionally, some protective services pay ranges are
recommended to be restructured to align to the market more closely, resulting in a 10% - 12% structure
change. Actual employee salary increases are determined administratively within the Council adopted
employee pay increase budget.
STEP PLAN
The City has 16 jobs that are part of a Step Plan, a pay system in which pay progression is directly linked to
skills acquisition rather than to general pay increases applicable to employees in Open Pay Ranges. Employees
in Step Plan jobs may receive labor market adjustments as determined by the annual market analysis.
Market Data Sources
Employers Council - Colorado Benchmark Compensation Survey
Employers Council - Public Employers Compensation Survey
Employers Council - Rural Electric Association Survey
Recommended Step Plan Adjustments
As a result of the market analysis, staff is recommending changes to Step Plan jobs, varying from 3% - 8.5%.
Employees in Step Plan jobs will receive a market adjustment consistent with the analysis.
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING UNIT
Police collective bargaining unit (CBU) positions are included in the Pay Plan to establish pay for such positions
until market data is collected and pay is established according to the Council-approved collective bargaining
agreement. The pay plan for classified positions not in the CBU is taken to Council for consideration and adoption
by ordinance in December and before the new payroll year. Terms of the collective bargaining agreement
between the City and the police employee organization call for market data to be collected after the end of each
year, there is a delay in gathering market data for the CBU positions. This results in City staff bringing the
amended pay plan back to Council for consideration early in the first quarter of the year. The recommended
changes to the Fort Collins Municipal Code Section 2-566 will eliminate that obligation so long as the pay for the
classified police employees is established in accordance with a collective bargaining agreement approved by
Council. COPY
Agenda Item 18
Item # 18 Page 3
CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS
The estimated net cost for the adjustments to the Step Plan jobs is approximately $340,000 and will be
absorbed within the 2022 operating budgets approved by Council. COPY
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ORDINANCE NO. 169, 2021
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
AMENDING THE CODE OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS PERTAINING TO
ADOPTION OF THE CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES PAY PLAN
WHEREAS, Section 2-566 of the City Code requires that the pay plan for all classified
employees of the City shall be established by ordinance of the City Council; and
WHEREAS, the electors of the City approved at a special City election an ordinance that
contains a comprehensive scheme for collective bargaining between the City and certain
employees of its Police Services (the “Ordinance”); and
WHEREAS, the Ordinance amended the City Code by adding a new Division 7 to Article
VII Chapter 2 of the Code entitled “Public Safety Administration Cooperative Agreement; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the provisions of the Ordinance, the Northern Colorado Lodge #3,
Colorado Fraternal Order of Police (“FOP”) was selected as the designated bargaining agent for
those employees of Police Services who are members of the bargaining unit; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the provisions of the Ordinance, the members of the collective
bargaining unit include all full-time sworn police officers at the rank of lieutenant and below, and
community service officers and dispatchers equivalent to the rank of lieutenant and below, all City
classified positions (“CBU Members”); and
WHEREAS, in 2006, the City and the FOP entered into a collective bargaining agreement
for 2006-2007 and, since that time, the parties have approved and executed subsequent agreements
for each ensuing two-year period except for a one-year period for the year 2018 and a three-year
period for 2018 through 2021; and
WHEREAS, the latest such agreement will expire on December 31, 2021; and
WHEREAS, the City and the FOP have, pursuant to the provisions of the Ordinance, again
engaged in negotiations regarding the terms and conditions of a new collective bargaining
agreement for a three-year term to begin in 2022 (the “Agreement”); and
WHEREAS, the salary article of the Agreement requires the City to collect market salary
data no later than January 5 of each year from several comparable jurisdictions and the Agreement
allows analysis and pay adjustments for the CBU Members as late as the first pay period of
February; and
WHEREAS, in December of each year since 2016, City staff brought the classified
employee pay plan to the City Council for consideration and approval for the upcoming year
setting salary ranges for classified positions who are not CBU Members; and
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WHEREAS, early in the new payroll year, City staff brought an amended pay plan with
salary data for CBU Members’ positions to the City Council after collecting and analyzing data in
January; and
WHEREAS, City staff recommends amending the City Code to allow for an exception for
the pay plan approval requirement only for CBU Member positions because the Agreement, which
must be considered and approved for execution by the City Council, sets out the criteria to be used
in establishing the pay for CBU Members; and
WHEREAS, based on the foregoing, the City Council desires to amend City Code Section
2-566 to make an exception to the pay plan approval requirement only for CBU Member positions
because City Council approves the Agreement setting out the criteria for establishing CBU
Members’ pay.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT
COLLINS as follows:
Section 1. That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and
findings contained in the recitals set forth above.
Section 2. That Section 2-566 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins is hereby
amended to read as follows:
Sec. 2-566. – Compensation of employees.
The pay plan for all classified employees of the City shall be established by ordinance of the City
Council, except that the pay plan for classified police employees as defined in §2-618 will be
established in accordance with any collective bargaining agreement reached with an employee
organization selected by such police employees and approved by the City Council.
Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 7th day of
December, A.D. 2021, and to be presented for final passage on the 21st day of December, A.D.
2021.
__________________________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
_______________________________
Interim City Clerk
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Passed and adopted on final reading on the 21st day of December, A.D. 2021.
__________________________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
_______________________________
Interim City Clerk