Town employees receive 3% wage increase

It’s not an April Fools’ joke: Non-union represented employees will receive a 3% wage increase in their paychecks, effective with the April 1 pay period.

At its Wednesday, March 27 regular workshop, the Longboat Key Town Commission supported Town Manager Dave Bullock’s request to extend the wage increase to non-union represented police employees.

In February commissioners already voted an ordinance forward that gives non-union general employees a 3% raise effective April 1 and also prepares to give 3% raises retroactive to Oct. 1 for Fire Rescue Department employees.

The ordinance calls for $52,200 to pay for the non-union employee raises and $70,000 to pay for pending Fire Rescue raises.

But the police department non-union employees and general employees were exempt from that wage increase at the time.

On March 7, the Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) announced 31 eligible general employees rejected a union by a 21-6 vote.

That move allowed Bullock to extend the 3% wage increase to those general employees, as well as police department employees who aren’t a part of a union negotiation.

The commission agreed to forward to a regular meeting a budget amendment of $32,000 for general employees and a $22,500 amendment for police department employees that gives them the 3% increase.
Bullock said although he’s a strong believer in merit increases, he’s OK with offering this across-the-board increase at this time.

“It’s been four years of no increases,” Bullock said. “I’m comfortable with this.”

Commissioner Lynn Larson, though, noted employees got a one-time $1,000 end-of-the-year bonus in November 2011 that cost the town $125,000.