Windsor pay proposal calls for 2% raises, up to 9% with grade changes
The proposal’s annualized base-pay estimate excludes benefits and overtime. Staff could review benefit calculations at the Oct. 10 operational-budget meeting.
Windsor employees would receive a 2% pay increase under a proposal presented to the Town Board. Employees moved up a pay grade could receive up to 9% in total raises.
A consultant recommended moving 37 positions up one pay grade because their market values had risen faster than the overall pay structure. Employees moved up a grade would receive an additional 5%, Mayor Pro Tem Jason Hallett said. If approved, the new pay structures and related raises would begin with the first payroll in January 2027, the consultant said.
The labor market rebounded quickly after slowing during COVID, the consultant said. Some positions continue to rise rapidly in market value, while others are cooling. The study’s pay-equity analysis found no pay disparities, the consultant said.
The consultant recommended raising the minimum and maximum of each town pay grade by 2%. General-government employees outside a step plan would also be eligible for up to 2% in merit pay. Moving employees on the police step plan to the next step would serve as that plan's version of a merit increase, the consultant said.
Mayor Julie Cline said merit should reflect performance, not just another year of service: “you shouldn't just be pushed along just because you've been here another year.” The consultant said the town ties variable merit increases to performance ratings. The town has no target for how ratings should be distributed, though they generally follow a standard distribution, Hallett said.
The consultant estimated the proposal would add just over $1 million in annualized base pay. That includes roughly $489,000 in pay-study adjustments, about $325,000 in merit increases, about $223,000 for police step increases and about $53,000 for part-time and seasonal adjustments. The estimates exclude benefits and overtime, the consultant said.
The consultant said the intent is to share the study process and results with employee groups. The operational-budget meeting is set for Oct. 10. Staff could review benefit calculations then, Hallett said.