Blacksburg council approves higher minimum wage

The new minimum price is one among a number of measures the city is enacting to attempt to tackle the affect of pandemic-related financial challenges. Town officers crafted the brand new pay system following an organization-wide compensation examine that was undertaken as Blacksburg — like different localities within the area — grappled with staffing shortages.

The decision for the brand new pay system was one among a number of gadgets in town council’s unanimously accredited consent agenda this previous week. The new pay system is scheduled to be applied by June 26, based on a schedule beforehand supplied by the city.

The new pay plan comes as Blacksburg, together with Christiansburg and Montgomery County, have over the previous a number of months confronted challenges with filling jobs throughout various departments. Bus routes dealt with by Blacksburg Transit are among the many areas city officers beforehand stated have been impacted.

Officials with the 2 cities and the county had acknowledged the necessity to re-examine their pay construction to deal with points akin to substantial inflation and competitors created by rising wages within the non-public sector — and notably the retail and repair industries, which draw a lot of the identical teams of people that tackle jobs in municipal departments akin to parks and recreation.

Among the opposite modifications from Blacksburg’s new plan is the introduction of a system that can place full-time staff in steps, or a construction that places them in place to obtain annual pay bumps. However, these step pay will increase, which staff might be eligible for halfway by way of the fiscal 12 months, might be contingent on efficiency evaluations.

The new plan may even embrace cost-of-living changes, however the total pay will increase would in the end be contingent on financial components akin to inflation and whether or not the city is having a “good budget year,” Town Manager Marc Verniel beforehand stated.

Blacksburg employees confirmed examples of pay modifications for numerous positions throughout a current presentation to council.

For instance, the beginning price for a public works custodian will go from $23,347 to $31,200 a 12 months. For a bus operator, the beginning pay will go from $29,259 to $36,446. And for law enforcement officials, the beginning price will go from $39,953 to $44,099 a 12 months.