Council approves new salary plan

Azle City Councilmembers at their July 5 meeting approved a revised salary plan for city employees.

The city adopted a new salary plan in 2019 as a result of a comprehensive salary survey of 13 other governmental entities performed by Public Sector Personnel Consultants. But since the pandemic, area salaries have risen dramatically while Azle employees’ salaries have remained static.

“Employees are leaving our employment for other positions with other cities to earn significantly higher salaries,” the council agenda packet information stated.

There are now 15 full-time positions in the city that are open or will be soon, and there are five open part-time positions in the city, said Lawrence Bryant, assistant city manager. In February, city staff requested PSPC to perform another survey of the same governmental entities. The survey showed that the city‘s three-year-old salary plan was already deficient.

“Based on their recommendations, the proposed changes will result in an increased cost of $660,948 (7.86%),” the packet agenda info noted. “These proposed changes will be funded by cost savings from open positions and health insurance. Step increases for eligible employees are not included in these amounts but would continue as scheduled for the rest of the fiscal year.”

Staff recommended council approve implementing the new salary plan, which would take effect with the first full pay period of July.

City Manager Tom Muir described the plan to the council, explaining the city is losing employees to other places where they will receive better pay.

“That’s why I’m kind of in a hurry trying to do something with this,” he said.

Employees would get a minimum of a 5% increase in pay with most of the raises going to police and fire employees, he said. Police officer starting pay would be $59,000 and starting firefighter/paramedic would be $62,000. Most of the frontline police and fire would see double-digit increases in pay. He also wanted to ensure part-time employees get a raise.

The city had a comparison of city employee salaries with some other cities’ employees. Mayor Alan Brundrett said he thought some salaries were still too low, explaining someone who works in street maintenance and parks should receive a higher salary, given they work in the heat, and also because that employee could work at a fast-food restaurant and draw a comparable salary.

Bryant said later in an email that the starting salary of a Street Maintenance I position on an hourly basis under the old plan was $13.02. Under the new plan, that same position’s starting salary is now $15.82, which amounts to an increase to the starting pay of 21.5%. This is one of several jobs in the city where there are multiple openings and the employees who were previously in that position were making $15.02 per hour at the time they left city employment. Because these employees were making more than the minimum prior to their departure then, at a minimum, their salaries would have been increased to some level greater than the new minimum of $15.82, Bryant said.

In the July 5 meeting, the mayor asked for examples so that he could understand the salary step system, and some others on the council also asked for examples of what pay would be for existing employees and new hires – a request that Muir filled. Later, after obtaining some copies of documents showing employee salaries, council and Muir examined specific numbers on raises, with Bryant appearing before the council to discuss those numbers.

Bryant explained the city has “needs all over the place.” He spent considerable time formulating the plan, and the vast majority of employees will receive more than a 5% increase in pay, he said. The plan council examined was affordable to the city while being the most impactful to the biggest number of employees. After a lengthy discussion, council eventually approved the salary plan, which will be included in the proposed budget next month. The vote was 6-0, with councilmember Amy Estes absent from the meeting.  

Also on July 5, council approved updating and amending the city’s 2005 Comprehensive Master Plan. Among those changes were an update in logo throughout the document and changes in demographics, such as noting the population estimate in 2030 would be 15,000. The bump in population was acute between 2015 and 2020, from 11,140 to 13,369. The city’s population in 2005 was 10,150.

During the public hearing on the updating and amending of the City of Azle’s 2005 Comprehensive Master Plan, resident Jim Kirk suggested width sizes for sidewalks. He explained in the interior of a residential development, sidewalks should be a minimum of four feet in width, and sidewalks on the perimeter of a residential development, along a collector street or in a commercial area, should be six feet wide. Also during the hearing, Cynthia Barrios asked about population changes on the document.

Mayor Pro Tem Randa Goode said she would like the city to have a new comprehensive master plan created and that a firm specializing in city planning be hired to do that plan, as the city has changed and the current master plan dates to 2005.

“I think we need to have an idea of what we want Azle to look like or what the citizens want Azle to look like and get their input, get a roadmap and get an actual … action plan,” she said.

Councilmember Stacy Peek said when city leaders want to bring businesses to town, company representatives want to see a business plan that details the city’s ambitions, vision and goals. Goode said her impression is the city is “just kind of winging it” as far as what it wants to accomplish. David Hawkins, director of planning and development for the city, said there’s not a singular action plan document for the city, but there exists a combination of working documents that the city uses.

Brundrett asked about the cost of a comp master plan. Hawkins estimated it would be $150,000-$200,000 and that it would take nine to 12 months to complete. Brundrett said he thinks it would be a good idea to have a new comp plan but he also was concerned about the cost of the plan and said that the city could devise a plan that could be attached to the current comp master plan. Goode supported crafting a new plan because of its importance to the city. Other councilmembers supported investigating getting a new plan through hiring a consultant.

Muir said the city will conduct a request for qualifications for a firm that conducts these kinds of comp master plans. He said if the city were to conduct a new comp plan, it would hire the best qualified firm and negotiate cost. The Municipal Development District could assist on funding, as that would be an option to be explored and negotiated. A comp master plan committee also could be formed.

Council also approved Ricky Simmons to the Planning and Zoning Commission Place 7 alternate spot. Simmons answered some questions from councilmembers before they voted on his request. When asked where he would like to see Azle five years from now, he said he would like to see the city have better traffic flow and that new developments be built with regard to highways and traffic and that the requirements be that they are conducive to a better community, and he hopes that is happening now with current developments.   

Also, council heard that 6,000 people attended the Follow the Flag July Fourth event at Central Park.