New salary structure to save Brookfield money

Beginning Oct. 1, a new salary structure will take effect for non-union city employees, which the Brookfield Common Council approved Tuesday.

This one-year measure will save the city about $80,000, said Human Resources Director James Zwerlein. The Human Resources and Public Safety committees previously approved the measure.

"The Finance Committee had given this committee a parameter of 2 percent," Zwerlein said. "When you consider employee health insurance costs are going to go up, some aren't contributing to the pension plan … I anticipate most non-union employees taking home less pay this year than last year."

City employees are divided into five sections: management; clerical and technical; police; fire; and intermittent or seasonal. Management pay will increase by 2 percent across the board, effective Jan. 1, 2013, but each salary grade will decrease in range from 25 percent to 38 percent. There will also be no merit pay adjustments. These two factors should even out pay overall for management positions.

Clerical and technical employees will be placed on a pay step system, based on state law regarding the program. Brookfield employees, however, will have 30 pay steps instead of the state's 15, and each step will differ by 4 percent instead of 7 percent. Current employees will be placed in the pay step closest to their current salary rounded up. The system is set up to later encourage merit pay and will help standardize pay for non-union employees.

Increases for Brookfield Police Department employees will not kick in until July 1, 2013. Police employees will receive a one-time 2.5 percent increase. The Fire Department will receive increases of 1.25 percent on Jan. 1, 2013, and July 1, 2013. There will be no changes in salary for intermittent and seasonal employees.

Other positions have also been shifted, retitled or reassigned within the scope of the new pay systems. A few positions have been removed entirely, which saves the city a total of 0.75 full-time equivalent positions. A position that was vacant during the process will remain vacant, resulting in the 0.75 loss.

Zwerlein said some positions have also been split between different departments in public works, requiring employees to become more versatile.

"That's what's happening everywhere. Governments shouldn't be immune from that," Zwerlein said. "When we have a vacancy it's an opportunity to re-evaluate the organizational design and see if we can provide services in a better way."

Aldermen Bob Reddin, Lisa Mellone, Gary Mahkorn, Rick Owen and Dan Sutton approved the measure in the meeting, with Finance Director Robert Scott and Fire Chief Charlie Myers present.