Walton city employees and non-elected officers will likely receive a bump in pay in the coming months.
At its meeting Tuesday evening, City Council approved 4-1 the first reading of an ordinance to update Walton’s personnel and pay classification plan for city employees and non-elected officers, and raise the minimum and maximum hourly rates and salaries. The plan does not include raises or other wage updates for city council or the mayor.
According to Mayor Terri Courtney, the adjustment of wages is years behind schedule—the salary ranges for each position hadn’t been updated in nearly eight years. “This hasn’t been updated since 2018, and a lot of things have changed [since then], right?” she said.
The personnel and pay classification plan lays out the minimum and maximum hourly rate for city employees and officials in city hall, public works, the treatment plant, and the senior center. The hourly rates are as follows:
- City Clerk/Finance Manager: $24–33 per hour
- Deputy City Clerk (2): $19–29.50 per hour
- Public Works Operations Manager: $27–37.80 per hour
- Public Works/Water Works Laborer (4): $20–33.25 per hour
- Treatment Plant Manager: $27–39.50 per hour
- Water & Sewer Laborer: $20–28.50
- Senior Center Coordinator (2, part-time): $20–26.50
The plan also lays out a minimum and maximum salary of $70,000–130,000 per year for a city administrator. While Walton does not currently have a city administrator, City Council announced plans at its July 8 meeting to move forward with hiring one.
City administrators are typically responsible for assisting in creating budgets, managing personnel, enforcing policies and ensuring the city meets its goals, and working with officials to develop new laws and policies.
Walton has expressed that its biggest priority for a city administrator is to assist with policymaking and to represent the city in state and county meetings, among other things.
Councilmember Sherry Gaskill was the sole vote in opposition to the measure. “I just don’t agree with the salaries,” she said.
Before it can go into effect, the personnel and pay classification plan must be read and approved a second time. Council will likely revisit the measure at its next regularly scheduled meeting on Sept. 9.