City employees could receive fatter paychecks under a compensation proposal that the Colorado Springs City Council will consider over the next few weeks.

The proposal, the result of a Total Compensation and Classification Study launched last year, would first address pay for about 1,100 noncivilian, or sworn, employees of the Police and Fire departments, with recommended average increases of 4.6 percent for police officers and 7.4 percent for firefighters.

“One of the things we’ve learned is that we have lagged behind the market for some time,” said Laura Neumann, chief of staff for Mayor Steve Bach, who went over the recommendations during a City Council work session Thursday.

Civilian employees would have to wait a few months longer to find out how the pay scale might change for them. Neumann said civilian pay turned out to be a more complex issue, partly because it’s tied to a review of the “classification hierarchy.” City officials want more time to audit the study’s findings but hope to have it done in time for the 2014 budgeting process.

“There was some question to the methodology they used,” Neumann said of the study’s authors. “We need to feel as confident as we do about sworn today.”

In the meantime, Neumann said, the proposal would allow eligible civilian employees to get merit raises, based on their evaluations over the past year.

“For the civilians — half of our population — nothing’s happening for them while we are compensating sworn, so we thought it was the best situation as relates to civilian.”

The compensation study was conducted by the Waters Consulting Group in Texas, with oversight by a team of city executives, employee associations, human resources staff, citizens and City Councilman Tim Leigh.

According to a summary from city Human Resources Director Michael Sullivan, it’s been more than 14 years since the city has evaluated employee compensation, including benefits and vacation time. Neumann also said it’s been about five years since the pay scale has been adjusted, although some employees have been eligible for “step increases” that eventually top out.

To arrive at the recommended raises and changes to compensation policies, the consultant looked at data from public and private organizations, and “best in class” municipalities.

The study found that sworn police officers’ salaries were 4.6 percent below the market rate, but benefits were 3.8 percent higher. For fire employees, pay was 7.4 percent below market, and benefits were 2.5 percent above.

“The salary data and recommendations present a compelling case for salary increases for sworn, subject to City Council approval,” Sullivan’s report says.

The proposal also includes changes to workers compensation, overtime calculation and sick leave policy, based on what the other “benchmark” organizations in the study are doing.

Come fall, city administrators plan to recommend changes in medical coverage for city employees, giving them the option of going with a high-deductible plan with lower premiums, or picking up more of the tab for a lower-deductible plan.

If the council approves the recommendations, it will require an additional $1.31 million from the general fund this year, and about $400,000 next year, Neumann said. Smaller amounts to cover additional estimated costs would come from the Public Safety Sales Tax Fund and the Airport Enterprise, she said.

The council will hear more about the plan at its informal meeting on Monday and is expected to take public comments and vote March 26.

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