HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity of Rexburg - Salary Study Report from BestDayHR Final March 15, 2023
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PROJECT DESCRIPTION & METHODOLOGY
The City of Rexburg enlisted the assistance of BestDayHR to conduct a custom Salary Study. The results of this study will better help the City of Rexburg recruit
and retain highly qualified and competent team members within an internally equitable and market competitive system. At the onset of this project, Rexburg’s
current Job Descriptions, pay plans and other related materials were collected and reviewed. The City identified the following 115 positions to include in this
study:
1. Accounts Payable Specialist
2. Asset Management System Administrator
3. Assistant City Engineer
4. Assistant Public Works Director
5. Building Official
6. Building Safety Electrical Inspector
7. Building Safety Inspector I
8. Building Safety Inspector II
9. Building Safety Inspector III
10. Building Safety Plumbing/Mechanical Inspector
11. Chief Finance Officer/Finance Director
12. City Attorney
13. City Clerk
14. City Engineer
15. City Planner/Planning and Zoning Director
16. Controller/Deputy Treasurer
17. Cultural Arts Director
18. Customer Service Clerk
19. Deputy City Attorney
20. Deputy City Clerk
21. Economic Development Assistant
22. Economic Development Director
23. Engineering Cadd Draftsman/Design Tech
24. Engineering Technician
25. Fire Administrative Services Manager
26. Fire Chief
27. Fire Deputy Chief
28. Fire Division Chief
29. Fire Emergency Manager Captain
30. Fire Fighter/EMT
31. Fire Fighter/Paramedic
32. Fire Fighter/Paramedic Battalion Chief
33. Fire Fighter/Paramedic Captain
34. Fire Fighter/Paramedic Lieutenant
35. Fire Inspector
36. Fire Professional Development Coordinator - New
Position
37. Geographic Information System Analyst I
38. Geographic Information System Analyst II
39. Geographic Information System Manager
40. Geographic Information System Technician
41. Golf Grounds Maintenance Superintendent
42. Golf Professional
43. Grant Coordinator
44. HR Director
45. Information Technology Chief Information Officer
46. Information Technology Operations Manager
47. Information Technology Support Center Lead
Technician
48. Information Technology System Administrator
49. Ordinance Compliance Officer
50. Park Maintenance Operator I
51. Parks Assistant Superintendent
52. Parks Superintendent/Director
53. Payroll Specialist/Human Resource Assistant
(Payroll Clerk)
54. Permit Tech/Building Administrative Assistant
55. Planner I
56. Planner II
57. Planning and Zoning Administrative Assistant
58. Police Administrative Assistant/Office and Records
Supervisor
59. Police Administrative Records Clerk
60. Police Administrative Records Specialist
61. Police Animal Service Officer I
62. Police Animal Service Officer II
63. Police Assistant Chief
64. Police Chief
65. Police Community Policing Lieutenant Officer
66. Police Community Policing Officer
67. Police Community Policing Sergeant Officer
68. Police Detective Lieutenant Officer
69. Police Detective Officer
70. Police Detective Sergeant Officer
71. Police Evidence Audit/Logistics and Support Clerk
72. Police Evidence Specialist/Training
Coordinator/Detective
73. Police Parking Attendant
74. Police Patrol Corporal Officer
75. Police Patrol Lieutenant Officer
76. Police Patrol Officer
77. Police Patrol Sergeant Officer
78. Police Patrol Specialist II
79. Public Works Administrative Assistant
80. Public Works Building/Facilities Maintenance
Coordinator
81. Public Works Director
82. Recreation Coordinator
83. Recreation Director
84. Recreation Manager
85. Sanitation Driver
86. Sanitation Foreman
87. Senior Fire Fighter/EMT
88. Senior Staff Accountant
89. Shop Mechanic Assistant Foreman
90. Shop Mechanic Foreman
91. Shop Mechanic I
92. Shop Mechanic II (Pg Mechanic and Welder)
93. Shop Mechanic II-Fire Dept
94. Staff Accountant
95. Staff Engineer
96. Street Foreman
97. Street Operator I
98. Street Operator II
99. Street Operator III
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100. Utility Billing Specialist (Clerk)
101. Waste Water Treatment Assistant Foreman
102. Waste Water Treatment Foreman
103. Waste Water Treatment Operator I
104. Waste Water Treatment Operator II
105. Waste Water Treatment Operator III
106. Waste Water Treatment Operator In Training
107. Wastewater Collection Foreman
108. Wastewater Collections Operator I
109. Wastewater Collections Operator II
110. Wastewater Collections Operator III
111. Water Distribution/Production Operator I
112. Water Distribution/Production Operator II
113. Water Distribution/Production Operator III
114. Water Distribution/Production Operator In
Training
115. Water Foreman
It was determined by the City that all Job Descriptions were up to date and reflected the current responsibilities of that position. So, BestDayHR did not make
any revisions to the City’s Job Descriptions.
The customized study was sent to selected comparable organizations, with an ask of providing the primary position function for each full-time position, as well
as current pay (also minimum and maximums) and years of experience for the person holding the position. The City of Rexburg wanted included Private Sector
Sources (www.lmi.idaho.gov/oes and www.salary.com) and the following comparators:
• Madison County
• Bonneville County
• Bannock County
• Ammon
• Idaho Falls
• Blackfoot
• Jefferson County
• Kootenai County
• Chubbuck
• Twin Falls
• Caldwell
• Meridian
• Lewiston
• Nampa
• Jerome
• Moscow
• Post Falls
• Coeur D’ Alene
• State Of Idaho
As noted above, a balanced group of organizations were analyzed for this project. It should be noted that each organization surveyed in this study is unique,
with different organizational structures and, in some cases, alternative allocations of duties among employees. Further, not every comparable delivers the exact
mix of services found in the City of Rexburg. This is especially true for the Police positions at the City of Rexburg. The focus of our market analysis was to
identify positions in other organizations with a similar scope of responsibilities, requiring similar knowledge, skill, and expertise.
There are no “perfect matches” in terms of organization or position; the one constant is that all public employers ask public employees to “wear many hats,” do
more with less, and take on greater responsibility. Even with variations in operations and position duties, we are confident that the survey results represent
fair, objective, and reasonable comparisons to the market.
KEY FINDINGS
The City of Rexburg’s pay levels, taken in total, are 97% of (or slightly below) “the market” (the mid-market comparison ratio averages of your comparators) and
34% above the peer minimum and 25% below the peer maximum. Our analysis suggests that the City’s compensation is at market or slightly below. Detailed
market data for each position can be found in the Compensation and Market Comparability section below.
Additional items to consider:
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• While there are variations among individual positions, it is important to keep in mind that being above or below market does not necessarily mean that
someone is “overpaid” or “underpaid” but rather shows the overall comparability of the market.
• We received over 5,600 lines of data from the peers in this survey. To ensure we were comparting equitably, we eliminated all peer data for positions
that were making less than $15,000 annually. Upon further exploring this, we found that most peers included part-time and seasonal positions.
• The Years of Experience provided by peers was minimal and shouldn’t be assumed that it reflects actual Years of Experience in the compared positions
versus years of experience at the organization. To this end, adjustments in compensation relative to the “Years” results were not made and are
presented only for your information.
• Relative to the selected peers, any cost-of-living differences and assumed commuting expenses should be considered in any further analysis.
• Specialists in the Police Department at the City of Rexburg have specialties built into their job description which determine the level of pay. However,
we found that most peers provide “Specialty Pay” on top of base-pay, so it was difficult to find equitable peers.
COMPENSATION & MARKET COMPARABILITY
To determine appropriate pay rates, we utilized a customized market survey to gather information on what the competitive labor market pays for similar
positions. We collected information on pay ranges and current, actual salaries in the event no range was available.
It should be noted that each organization surveyed in this study is unique, with different organizational structures and in some cases, alternative allocation of
duties among employees. Further, not every comparable employer delivers the exact mix of services found in the City of Rexburg. The focus of our market
analysis was to identify positions in other organizations with a similar scope of responsibilities, requiring similar levels of knowledge, skill, and expertise.
Taken in total, Rexburg’s compensation is approximately 3% below the market as compared to the market medians. In reviewing the individual position results,
keep in mind that being above or below market doesn’t necessarily mean someone is “overpaid” or “underpaid.” Rather, this is a simple way to gauge overall
comparability to market. In comparison to the identified peers, our analysis reveals that the City of Rexburg is at market or slightly below.
Tables 1-3, on the following pages, include the Market Averages, Compensation-Ratios, and Position in Range calculations. We separated the public safety
positions (Fire and Police department positions) from other departments for easier viewing of the tables. The Compensation Ratios were calculated by the
City’s pay rate divided by the market average for minimum, midpoint, and maximum pay rates. These tables are sorted by their Median Compensation Ratio
results, high to low, for easy viewing. We generally consider positions to be “at market” if they are +/-12.5% of the market median. The Position in Range
analysis is like the Compensation Ratio but shows how deep into the position’s pay range their actual compensation is positioned. Taken in total, our analysis
suggests that the City’s overall compensation is at or slightly below market relative to its identified peers.
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Table 1
Table 2
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Table 3
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Table 4 shows the positions at Rexburg that are either newly created or are currently vacant and, therefore, providing Compensation Ratio and position
in Range results are not applicable. However, we wanted to show the median and average pay for the matched positions across all peers.
Table 4
NEXT STEPS
In addition, to the analysis provided above, we have developed multiple HTML files for the City of Rexburg to download that will allow you to drill down into the
data further. Open each file and select download. Once downloaded, the files should open in your web browser, and you will have the ability to interact with
the dynamic files. The following files have been attached in the e-mail:
• Rexburg Peer Compensation Comparison Plots.html
The charts in this file provide a visual format that allows you to see each peers’ compensation data relative to Rexburg’s compensation data.
• Rexburg Mean Percent Differences.html
The charts in this file provide a visual format that allows you to see mean percentage differences for each position relative to its peer.
• Rexburg Mean Dollar Differences.html
Similar to the “Mean Percent Differences” file, the charts in this file show the absolute dollar difference in each position relative to each peer.
Thank you for partnering with BestDayHR on your Custom Salary Study. We ask that you review this report and identify any questions you may have. Then
when you are ready, please reach out and we will schedule a virtual call to discuss the report with you and answer any questions you may have.