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Council approves one per cent raises for city staff

The city's non-unionized employees will get a one per cent cost of living increase effective April 1. The pay bump will cost the city an extra $240,000.

The city's non-unionized employees will get a one per cent cost of living increase effective April 1.

The pay bump will cost the city an extra $240,000.

City council approved the increase, which came at the recommendation of city manager Bill Holtby, after an in camera session on Monday. Holtby explained in a subsequent press release that the city is committed to sound financial management alongside equitable staff compensation.

"My goal was to strike a balance between both of those priorities and we feel as though we've accomplished just that," Holtby said.

The city follows a biannual salary adjustment cycle, which means that odd numbered years bring cost of living adjustments while even numbered years result in pay adjustments based on an evaluation of the municipal sector job market. Next year this evaluation will be based on a new comparator group that will be set by a new council policy currently in the works.

This year's cost of living increase came after the city reviewed a consultant's compensation report that came out last fall. It also took into consideration cost of living statistics for the Edmonton area and settlements within other municipalities in the region and mid-sized Alberta municipalities, Holtby said. In 2010 the Consumer Price Index for the Edmonton area was 1.07 per cent.

Non-union employees work within a pay grid that will increase one per cent across the board. Employees can still qualify for additional increases based on their performance, said chief financial officer Dean Screpnek.

The city's 300 non-union employees got a 4.5 per cent cost of living increase in 2009 and a 3.9 per cent market adjustment last year.

Recession pay day

Lynda Flannery of the St. Albert Taxpayers' Association noted the city provided healthy increases throughout the recent recession. By her math, the CPI for Edmonton has increased by about 10 per cent in the last five years while non-union increases total about 20 per cent. In that light, she's not impressed with one per cent for 2011.

"This is a lost opportunity for council to say enough and let's start the adjustment process right now by holding the line on salaries," she said.

Mayor Nolan Crouse said council was committed to keeping the increase in line with the actual cost of living increase for the region.

"One per cent is quite modest," he said. "It shows restraint. I think we were basically bang on with what we should have expected to be."

The increase does not affect unionized workers whose contracts ran out Dec. 31. The city is currently in talks with the respective unions.

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