Mayor Kip Holden’s administration today will revisit a year-old study of city-parish employee pay with a presentation to the Metro Council on how to implement recommended changes.
Some aspects of the city-parish’s compensation package, including overtime, time off and longevity pay, can be unusually generous in some cases, the study found, but the base pay for some employees is far below the average salaries in comparable cities. Those generous aspects of the benefits package can be reconfigured into base pay, the study advises.
Councilwoman C. Denise Marcelle, who sponsored the agenda item for today’s presentation, says she hopes the suggestions will work their way into the city-parish budget for next year. She says the recommendations couldn’t be implemented last year for the current budget because there wasn’t enough transition time between when the study was delivered in October and when budget hearings were held in November.
Marcelle says she’s looking to the administration to lay out proposed raises for city-parish employees, by percentage of their current salaries, but adds every city-parish employee may not get a boost in overall compensation. She especially wants to see Department of Public Works employees and others on the low end of the pay scale receive a raise.
“Those are the ones who are working two jobs to get enough to make one living wage,” Marcelle says. Check out the full report.
Also at today’s meeting, the council will take up a request by Councilman Buddy Amoroso to formally oppose proposed changes to Federal Air Quality Standards, as well as the transfer of a defunct fire station at 1801 North Laurel St. to the Mid City Redevelopment Alliance.
The council will also look into the effects of extending the boundaries of an Urban Design Overlay District along Jefferson Highway to include nearby businesses.
A discussion on the use of body cameras for Baton Rouge police officers is also set to take place. That discussion was deferred at the council’s last meeting, as was consideration of the formation of a committee to review candidates for the vacant parish attorney position. Creating this committee will again be considered at today’s meeting.
The Metro Council convenes at 4 p.m. on the third floor of City Hall, 222 St. Louis St. See the full agenda. —Kelly Connelly
