Township employees will receive a 2.4 per cent pay increase for 2015.
On July 28 Mapleton council approved the cost of living increase retroactive to Jan. 1 for employees working with the Township as of Aug. 1.
The increase was recommended in a review of township compensation practices provided by acting CAO Brad McRoberts.
The report notes the township’s 2015 budget allowed for an increase of up to 2.5%, and Statistics Canada’s Ontario Consumer Price Index for 2014 is 2.4%.
Council also accepted a recommendation from the report to adopt a “compensation philosophy” designed to “attract, engage, motivate and retain qualified employees through an internally equitable (fair and consistent), non-discriminatory and externally competitive compensation (pay and benefits) program.”
The philosophy also aims to:
– ensure Mapleton’s compensation programs are affordable within the long-term financial capacity of the organization;
– ensure consistency with human resources strategies set out in the townships mission and values statements and strategic plan;
– comply with the Ontario Pay Equity Act and other employment statutes; and
– establish and maintain a pay grid structure that achieves internal equity through a job evaluation system.
In the report, McRoberts said the philosophy should help create a culture to help the township attract and retain good workers.
“Significant turnover in staff has occurred over the past two to three years and, excluding terminations, these turn overs can be partially attributed to compensation issues,” the report states.
“Recent efforts to recruit for vacated or new positions have been challenged due to the township’s current low compensation rates. With projected retirements from senior positions throughout Ontario, there will be an increasingly high demand placed on good quality medium- to senior-level staff.”
The report also notes, “recruitment of staff particularly at the medium-to-senior level can be time consuming and costly resulting in [loss of] productivity, additional work loads and stress on existing staff, and loss of historical knowledge and experience. Although these may not be quantifiable or tangible in terms of costs, the impacts are real and are felt internally and externally of the organization.”
The new policy also includes an increase in shift premium for applicable employees from $1 to $2 per hour, a minimum call out pay of two hours, and an $18 per day on-call fee.
The report notes an on-call rotation system will be set up to include all full-time roads employees.
“Currently the manager of public works is our ‘on call responder’ 365 days a year. This practice is severely unfair, unreasonable and not acceptable as a practice. The current ‘on call responder’ is also not compensated for being in this state of readiness and availability, which again is unfair and unreasonable,” McRoberts pointed out.
The cost to implement the on-call recommendations in the report would be just under $9,000 per year, the CAO estimates.
Mayor Neil Driscoll said the measures mean the township has a clear compensation policy for the first time.
“If nothing else it’s a road map for future councils to work with and they can change it if they wish,” the mayor stated.
A motion to approve the recommendations was passed without opposition. Councillor Lori Woodham, who’s husband works with the township declared a conflict on the issue.
Later in the meeting council passed a bylaw establishing a salary grid for municipal employees. Woodham declared a conflict on that bylaw also.
The grid sets the lowest pay range at $14.22 to $16.72 per hour and the top range at $49.49 to 58.43 per hour.
