(DUBLIN, Calif.) – During its September 1 meeting, the Dublin City Council received a report outlining potential methods for implementing a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for city employees.
Human Resources Director Sarah Monnastes presented information to the council. The main points she covered included what COLA is, how Dublin determines it, and other aspects of this process.
Alongside defining COLA, Monnastes provided the council with an idea of how much money each increase would cost the city and impact city employee compensation. According to Monnastes, “1% of a COLA is approximately $184,000 in salary and salary-related benefits.”
She also explained that Dublin’s COLA is a "collaborative process," which once agreed upon is enacted for a period of three to five years. The COLA is only adjusted after the set period has expired. As indicated in the graphic below, the minimum COLA increase is 1%, and the maximum is 3.5%.
Photo Credit: City of Dublin
With this information in mind, Monnastes shared the step-by-step process that city management, staff, and council should follow to determine the appropriate amount for a cost-of-living adjustment for staff.
First, the City Manager meets with city employees to gain insight into their compensation. During this time, surveys are conducted regarding employee compensation. OpGov.News reached out to Dublin in order to gain insight into what these surveys were.
OpGov.News reached out to Assistant City Manager Hazel Wetherford, who said the presentation referenced two different surveys.
"The first are total compensation salary surveys, which compare city salaries and benefits against 12 comparator agencies," Wetherford said. "The second are employee surveys conducted as part of the employee engagement process; these ask employees a range of questions to help the City understand which benefit changes matter most to them."
Photo Credit: Madison Vinas / Conversation with Assistant City Manager Hazel Wetherford.
In the past, the city’s decision has also factored in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), which looks specifically at employee wages. Monnastes explained that this is not the most common method of determining a COLA. According to her, most other cities use the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). This method looks at the prices of goods and the overall cost of living.
According to Monnastes, the process also includes "a lot of market data," including comparing the salaries of specific job classifications in surrounding regions. This helps the City of Dublin "stay competitive." Following an analysis of this data and further discussion, a decision is made and the "package...[is brought] to council."
Photo Credit: https://dublinca.new.swagit.com/videos/399711
After the presentation concluded, the floor was opened to questions from the council.
Speaking first was Council Member John Morada, who questioned how the city would be paying to increase its COLA. City Manager Colleen Tribby responded, saying money put toward the COLA would come out of the general fund.
Mayor Sherry Hu then inquired about what the next steps in determining the COLA would be, to which Tribby responded that staff would be engaging in discussion regarding the CPI-W. She went on to mention that if the council wished to delve deeper into the topic or make changes to the COLA, they should do so during "a closed session environment."
Following this brief question-and-answer period, the matter was opened to the public.
This item had only one public speaker, Mike Grant. Grant took this time to express appreciation to the council for being more responsive to older residents in Dublin than it was before.
“Sometimes in the past it was like [the council didn’t] want to talk, they [didn’t] want to help," Grant said.
Photo Credit: City of Dublin
He encouraged the council to continue working with older residents, stating that he would like to see these residents stay rather than leave for another city.
Other topics during the council meeting included a preview of an upcoming festival in the city and the council passing stricter rules for gun ranges and businesses.
To add or correct any information in this report, please contact me at madison.v@lead4earth.org.
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