CC Minutes - 06/21/06 Work Session

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Ms. Bettman offered a friendly amendment to make the COLA 2.4 percent. Ms. Solomon indicated she would not accept the friendly amendment. Ms. Bettman, seconded by Ms. Taylor, moved to amend the motion so that the COLA would be set at 2.4 percent. Ms. Bettman opined that the City Manager’s COLA should be set at the level that the “least compensated among the City staff received.” Mr. Papé wondered what the Portland CPI was. He thought Portland was the closest gauge for Eugene. He favored setting the increase to that rate. Mr. Chouinard responded that he would be amazed if it was very far from the 3.2 percent increase that was being suggested. Mr. Papé thought it had been 2.5 percent. Ms. Bettman said she would be willing to take a friendly amendment changing the COLA to 2.5 percent. Mr. Papé replied that his information was not current. Mr. Papé, seconded by Mr. Kelly, moved to table the amendment until current information was brought forth. City Manager Taylor indicated that the item could be tabled until later in the meeting in order to allow staff to find the Portland CPI information. The vote to table the motion was a 4:4 tie; Ms. Bettman, Ms. Taylor, Mr. Papé, and Mr. Kelly voting in favor, and Mr. Poling, Ms. Solomon, Ms. Ortiz, and Mr. Pryor voting in opposition. Mayor Piercy cast a vote in opposition to the motion and it failed on a final vote of 5:4. The motion to amend failed, 6:2; Ms. Taylor and Ms. Bettman voting in favor. Mr. Kelly indicated his support for the motion. He thought it only fair that all non-represented employees receive the same COLA. The main motion passed, 7:1; Ms. Bettman voting in opposition. Mr. Papé ascertained from staff that the City Manager was currently at Step 5 of his salary scale. He did not favor giving the City Manager a whole step increase to Step 6. Ms. Bettman observed that the motion as it stood would give the City Manager a step increase to $140,192 in Option A and a 3.2 percent COLA with Option B and then an open-ended percent increase through Option C. She asked whether the low end of market as defined by City Council policy was the target number. Mr. Chouinard replied that the salary was 15.27 percent from the average salary for comparable positions and if the City Manager received a 7.7 percent increase, it would still be down by 3.6 percent. He estimated that it would bring the total compensation level to approximately $162,000. Ms. Bettman indicated her opposition to the motion. Ms. Solomon clarified that the motion for Option C would adjust the City Manager’s pay range by 3.6 percent. MINUTES—Eugene City Council June 21, 2006 Page 2 Work Session