The Grants Pass City Council approved a 4% across-the-board raise for staff, along with incentive pay. The lowest-paid firefighter will now earn about $72,000 annually. City staff estimate these raises will cost the city an additional $200,000 per year. The pay increase was negotiated by the firefighters union.
During Wednesday night's meeting, Council Member Indra Nicholas said the salary increases are likely to be a big issue for the city.
“I am going to vote for it," she said. "But I think we really need to look at the budget as far as personnel goes next year, because this is not sustainable.”
The city increased salaries for police earlier this year and approved six new positions for the police and fire departments without raising any money to pay for them.
Grants Pass currently has a balanced budget. But the most recent operating budget noted: "The costs of providing Public Safety service is increasing at a faster pace than revenues." About $5.7 million is still needed to fill the gap between revenues and expenses for public safety in the city.
The city council approved the raises unanimously, but members noted the city needs to keep an eye on how these raises will impact the budget.
