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DRAFT Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 21, 2013 Page 26 dominated positions and different classes of employees getting different increases, Mr. Trudgeon cautioned the need to remain aware of remaining in compliance. Mr. Trudgeon noted that those were just two things to he needed to keep in mind as the Interim City Manager: keeping the organization healthy and making sure it was in compliance with State regulations for pay equity; opining that the further skewed the pay equity plan was, the more problems that would surface. In arriving at the proposed 2% COLA, Mr. Trudgeon reviewed the process used in developing this as part of his City Manager-recommended budget previously presented to the City Council and public; but noting whether the CPI measures were used or not were up to the City Council and their policy. While speculation could be part of that process looking forward, Mr. Trudgeon noted that without a clear picture of the future, and based on information currently available, those calculations indicated the 2% COLA recommendation. Mr. Trudgeon advised that staff research to-date had indicated most peer communities were projecting between 2% and 2.5%, with each city's budget limited by its own resources. Spe- cific to the City of Roseville, Mr. Trudgeon noted that their decision would also need to be based on the City Council's priorities; with staff recommending a 2% COLA to keep the City competitive, while recognizing the tough budget decisions before the City Council. However, Mr. Trudgeon sought to clarify staff's ra- tionale in making the original recommendation, and bringing this assumption forward based on previous City Council direction. Councilmember Willmus referenced another index, the Employment Cost Index for Local and State Government Workers, noting that had also been running flat at 1%; and opined that the City needed to be careful how it budgeted and allocated its funds; and questioned Mr. Miller on the percentage of the overall budget that was allotted to wages and salaries. Mr. Miller estimated 75%to 80%in tax-supported programs. Councilmember Willmus noted the need to be cognizant regarding its choices; and if using a similar tool going forward, suggested that maybe the CPI wasn't the best or only tool to use. Mayor Roe clarified that when referencing an index for policy decisions, the one index represented what others were paying and the other is based on cost of liv- ing; and not making an argument either way, Mayor Roe questioned if the cost of living index was keeping up with what was being paid. Mayor Roe suggested finding a composite for individual points of view, noting that it appeared that a majority of the City Council supported COLA,but the difficulty was in its context with other things.