Leesburg city commissioners have approved a substantial pay raise for city employees.
The city has been having difficulty filling vacancies and retaining employees including police and paramedics. District 3 Commissioner Jay Connell had asked City Manager Al Minner to conduct a study of the wages paid by surrounding cities. Minner presented commissioners with the results of the study and the of the contract negotiations with the police and fire unions.
The contract with the Florida Police Benevolent Association calls for a 16 percent wage increase for current officers and the entry level pay would increase 18 percent. The proposed increases would make the city more competitive in attracting and retaining police officers.
Commissioners approved the collective bargain agreement with Professional Fire Fighters Local 2957 and the city which calls for a 5 percent increase for existing union members and a 21 percent increase for paramedics. The city has had difficulty in competing with surrounding cities for paramedics with the old salary schedule.
The commission also approved an increase in the pay scale for the general employees. The starting wage for the lowest pay grade would be $15 per hour with all other pay grades getting a 4 percent pay increase and a 1 percent longevity bonus for every year worked in their current position or a 5 percent cost of living increase, whichever is greater. The city is short several employees at the low end of the wage scale. When the city also approved hiring Brightview Landscaping Searvices,Inc.to provide landscaping services Commissioner Mike Pederson said the contract was necessary until the new wage scale goes in to effect given the difficulty in hiring workers at the old rates.
The new pay scales would go into effect July 1, even though the city’s fiscal year starts on Oct. 1. Minner explained that the currant vacancies in the police and other city departments would mean the city was in a position to start the wage structure this fiscal year.
The commissioners were also presented with a resolution to help pay for the wage increase and new employees by raising the fire fee from $67 to $165 per dwelling. This increase is projected to generate approximately $2.9 million for the city during fiscal year 2023-24. The residential rate would be $165 per dwelling unit. While the $165 rate is still lower than most surrounding cities it is a substantial increase . Minner told the commissioners that the most recent property valuation for real estate in Leesburg was close to $2.2 billion. The higher valuation would enable the city to reduce the millage rate which would result in lower property tax which would substantially reduce the impact of the fire fee increase. The increase in revenue does not include the substantial property taxes Leesburg will receive from the new homes in the Villages of West Lake which will be collected in 2025 and future years.
Commissioner Alan Reisman spoke in favor of the resolutions when he said, “Without our employees we do not have a city.” All commissioners voted in support of the resolutions.
