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Regular City Council Meeting Monday,November 27, 2023 Page 4 Mayor Roe also reviewed the proposed pay increases for the employees, employee classifications and Cost of Living Adjustment(COLA.) Mr. Trudgeon explained generally speaking the City is eight percent below the market minimums and ten percent below the maximums of the pay ranges for various positions across the board. Each position does vary a little bit and department heads, like other employees, will see different results depending on where they started off and how the classification system came forward and indicated where the employee is in the market. Another variable is where the employee currently is in the current system and where the employee would potentially move to. It is really across the board, as far as affecting people differently and that is just an outcome of the City doing the classification compensation study. Ms. Pietrick reviewed the different increases in services the City has, including water and sewer. Councilmember Schroeder thanked staff for putting the information together as well as the alternative information for the utility increases. She indicated she was in favor of trying to keep everything as low as possible in this area and would be in support of doing the alternative sanitary sewer increase because anywhere the City can save the residents a little money the City should try to do. Councilmember Strahan asked if the City does go with the zero increase for sanitary sewer for residents at this time, what did staff predict could be the impact in 2024 as the City plans for 2025. Ms.Pietrick explained the zero percent increase in the base and usage fee is roughly seventy-one thousand dollars less in revenue for 2024 for residential properties. Mayor Roe asked if the City would need to make that up at some point because the rates continue to go up. Councilmember Strahan thought instead of a small percentage increase now, staff is talking a rather large increase next year to make up the loss of revenue. Ms. Pietrick stated because the utility rate study called for five years at two percent and then going down to zero percent, the City would just tack on one more year at two percent at the end of five years, in other words shifting the proposed plan out by one year. Councilmember Strahan wanted to make sure the City does not have a balloon payment coming at a later point that is much more jarring and shocking to everyone.