HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-24-2022 Personnel Board Meeting Mintues(
CITY OF FAIRHOPE
Personnel Board Meeting
7:00 AM -March 24, 2022
161 N Section Street
Fairhope , AL 36532
Present were:
Members: Diane Thomas; Genie Frazier; Tyler Garner; Terry Ullrich; Jake O'Ne i l; Mayor Sherry
Sullivan ; Councilman Kevin Boone; Community Affairs Paige Crawford; HR Manager Cory Pierce;
Safety Coordinator Donnie Grice; City Clerk Lisa Hanks
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 a.m .
Minutes of the January 27 , 2022 , meeting were approved as presented.
Diane Thomas spoke about pairing job descriptions with pay ranges and other perspective jobs
in an Excel spreadsheet . Terry Ullrich received job rating information from each City
department and compared it to existing job salary and hourly wage ranges to Auburn study
ranges . If these ranges were below the minimum, he would calculate the cost to bring the
wages to the minimum standard . This resulted in 35 employees being brought u p to the
min i mum standard at a grand total of $114,076.46 . He discovered 97 out of 315 positions did
not have current job ratings . Terry said that the Utility and Police departments are in good
shape with accurate minimum payments . Recreation and the Economic Development
departments were some examples of departments that needed work to get to the minimum
payment standard . Diane Thomas made the comment that she was surprised Community
Affairs had a large variation in minimum payment discrepancies . Mayor Sullivan suggested the
Board spot check a few surrounding municipalities that are currently making si m i lar
adjustments to minimum pay. She says in the two years si nce the Auburn study has been
conducted that pay ranges have increased and need to be re-examined because of market
var i ations.
Cory Pierce updated the Board on Munis . The update will happen in late-May. He will be
conducting various departmental meetings to ensure that the upgrades go smoothly.
Newly hired Safety Coordinator Donnie Grice discussed the safety manual. He inherited this
manual from the previous safety coordinator and has been adding to it. A copy was presented
to Board members.
Diane Thomas felt that there should be a plan in place to compensate those employees within
the City who have reached the top of their pay grades . Currently, those employees' pay stays
the same if they are at the top of their grade. There are specific retirement system rules that
must be followed in order to implement such raises. Mayor Sullivan stated that there has been
cost -of-living increases and longevity pay for these "topped out" City employees. She says there
should be some flexibility in salary increases to ensure City employees are not lost due to
budget constraints. She spoke about the importance of City employees understanding the
roadmap to get from lower-grade entry level positions to higher-grade specialty positions
within the City . Cory Pierce made a comment on the importance of laying out and stating
expectations for managers and department leaders . Tyler Garner and Jake O'Neil commented
on their success with listing out expectations for employees at their respective careers.
Paige Crawford spoke about vacancy within the Civic Center facility. Rental Facility Assistant
One has not yet been graded by the Auburn study . She provided a job description. The job
involves rentals for large events within the City. Paige hopes to expand this role to add more
job duties and responsibilities. There was a lack of a person of contact who could have been
incorporated into this position , making that process of coordinating easier during disasters such
as Hurricane Sally . She proposed defunding the Rental Facilities Assistant One position to push
those funds into an all-encompassing role called "Emergency Management Specialist ." Mayor
Sullivan stated how vital this position is during large city events like the Arts & Crafts Festival.
Diane Thomas proposed that Board members vote on the job title. Mayor Sullivan wanted to
suggest a motion to vote on this job title . Genie Frazier moved that we defund the Rental
Facilities Assistant One position and replace it with the Emergency Management Specialist
Coordinator positions. The motion was seconded by Terry Ullrich and all members were in
favor.
Cory Pierce updated the Board on Human Resources. He came from the Florida Department of
Agriculture and spoke about hiring Mims as the new HR Coordinator .
Final comments were made from attendees of the meeting. Councilman Kevin Boone asked
about the cost of the new Emergency Management Specialist Coordinator position to ensure
that it was in the budget of the City. He felt that it would not be a challenge to get the City
Council on board for this position, if it was within budget. Mayor Sullivan spoke about the
challenges of retaining good talent within the City . Councilman Boone and Mayor Sullivan spoke
about what it takes to get consensus between Mayor and City Council and the process of
implementing necessary changes to retain and pay employees competitively. Final comments
were made by Board members and others in attendance.
A motion was made, and a second to adjourn.
With gratitude,
Jake O'Neil, Secretary
Personnel Board