BOOK 21_1946-09-23 to 1948-08-09

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14 City Manager Blom reported on the proposed salary adjustments for city employees. He stated that since the last meeting of the Council, at which time a com- mittee of employees had presented their problem to the Council, he had been making a detailed study of the matter with a view to making a fair adjustment in salaries and also to determine ways and means of meeting the additional payroll expenditures for the balance of the year. He brought out the point that the fire and police departments accounted for approximately 50° of the total salary expenditures. He reported a comparison of salaries for fire and police departments in other cities in California and the United States. The I top salary for these departments paid in Los Angeles and other large cities ` is $291 per month,. In Oakland, the top salary is $276; Richmond, $270; Ban . f Francisco, $250, although there is a proposal on the November ballot to set .-r the top salary at $290. The trend in fire and police departments, as well as in other lines, is toward shorter working hours. He stated that he would like to have recommended higher salaries at budget time if the financial problem had not been so serious and was recommending at this time the establishment of a new schedule of salaries which, on a percentage basis, would run approxi- mately 15%above the 1945-46 salary ordinance. In the fire and police depart - menta, he recommended a range of $240 to 27b, as compared to the 1946-47 ordinance of $210 - $240. He stated it would take a great deal of time to go into the salaries for the other positions but that he would be glad to pre- pare an analysis for the Council if they desired. He recommended that an effective date of not later than October 1, 1946, be establisned for the increase in salaries. 41"� The approximate total cost of the salary adjustments would amount to $23,000 exclusive of the amount for retirement and compensation insurance which amounts to approximately 9°fo of the payroll.- If the working hours for the police and fire departments are reduced, which he recommended be done, it would necessi- tate adding two additional fireman and two additional police patrolmen. He recommended that the change in working hours be made effective January 1, 1947, so that the police department would work 44 hours a week and the fire depart- ment 66 hours a week. The cost of two additional men in each of the two depart- ments from January 1 to June 30, 1947, would amount to $5760. The total cost of salary adjustments plus the additional men would amount to approximately $31,300. Insofar as the source of funds for such adjustments is concerned, he explained _ that during the first three months of the fiscal year, the salary expenditures were undgr expended approximately $8000 due to inability to fill positions created by the budget in the street, sewer and electric departments. He be- lieved it would be impossible to fill these positions for the balance of the year so that there would be approximately $15,000 available from unexpended salaries. For the balance of $16,000, there were two possible sources to be considered. One'was the installation of parking meters and assigning to the general fund for salaries any revenue to be obtained over and above the pay- ment for the meters for the balance of the year. If the meters can be in- stalled before the first of the year, he believed $8000 or $9000 could be