While many unknowns remain concerning the City of Great Bend’s 2023 budget, the City Council Monday night gave tacit approval of a plan that would raise the minimum wage for starting city employees to $15.50. The goal would be to make the pay more in line with other employers.
The increase was the subject of a council work session following its agenda meeting. No final action could be taken.
“This is really just an attempt to be more competitive in the in the job market,” Interim City Administrator Logan Burns said. The idea was born of Barton County’s raising its minimum wage to $15.
Under Burns’ proposal, the hike would come in conjunction with a 50 cent raise for employees already at the new minimum level. There would also be a 2% merit raise across the board.
“We’ve had a lot of instances here recently of not just losing employees not only to higher wages, but just going elsewhere for opportunities,” he said. “This is kind of our first attempt at being more competitive and then also taking care of everybody within the organization.”
Second Ward Councilwoman Jolene Biggs and City Clerk Shawna Schafer both echoed the feelings of most on the council in supporting the idea. While Fourth Ward Councilwoman Natalie Towns backed the new minimum, she didn’t think the merit raise was needed in the same year.
The change would cost the city $272,000, Schafer said. But, sales tax and fee revenues have been higher.
“It’s the dollars they are taking home to their families that are important,” Mayor Cody Schmidt said. “That’s what they are looking for.”
The council also toyed with raising to $15. But, when factoring in the 50 cent raise for other employees, it would create wage compression issues, Burns said.
This happens when there’s little difference in pay between employees, regardless of differences in their respective knowledge, skills, experience or abilities.
They also looked at merit raises of 3% and 4%. Those would cost the city $367,000 and $461,000 respectively.
But, Burns stressed, this is all speculative. “We won’t know anything for sure until we get our (property) valuation numbers (from the county) and get further into the budget,” he said.
