Hundreds of Atlanta's employees could see their pay increase next year if the city acts on a study that compared its pay scale with Charlotte, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, Raleigh and 20 other cities.
But Atlanta's budget is under strain, and the sustainability of pay increases is an open question.
Last year, the city commissioned a $780,000 study of job classifications and pay scales for its 7,200 employees. It was the first such review since 1995.
The "Pay in Class" study found that the city's pay was broadly competitive with what other cities in the metro region offer for similar work, but not as much on a national playing field.
And for some jobs -- fleet mechanic, traffic signal engineer and information technology manager, for example -- Atlanta's pay scales make it hard to attract and keep the most talented employees, officials said.
"We want to be an employer of choice," said Yvonne Cowser Yancy, the city's commissioner of human resources. The goal is to emphasize talent and merit, she said. "We want to make sure it's straightforward, it's clear and it's transparent."
Atlanta's job classifications have been anything but transparent so far, according to the study. Many of the city's "job families" had an additional level created just so employees could get a higher salary through promotion. Some specialized classes -- the city has 1,200 in all -- replicated existing jobs so that employees could earn different amounts for the same skills.
Atlanta has set aside $2.3 million to increase the compensation of employees found to be underpaid. In a work session Wednesday, City Council members questioned what happens after the current fiscal cycle.
"Our 2012-2013 budget is already looking pretty intriguing, to say the least," said Councilman C.T. Martin. "I hope we find a pot of gold."
Councilman Howard Shook also wanted to know how the city would maintain higher pay in future years, given that employees on the upper fringes of the pay scale apparently will not see their pay cut as a result of the study.
"If we can’t afford it, we’re going to be raising expectations" in a way that could spur a backlash, Shook said.
Jim Daws, president of the Atlanta chapter of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said the review was long overdue. Atlanta's pay for firefighters has lagged behind other local municipalities for 15 years, he said.
"This has been a chronic and intractable problem for our members’ compensation for most of their careers," Daws said. "At this point, Atlanta has gained a reputation as a bad place for firefighters to work. The damage to a lot of people’s careers has already been done."
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