TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Diego Chavez, Administrative Services Director
PREPARED BY: Michelle Tamez, Senior Human Resources Analyst
SUBJECT:
title
Approval of Comprehensive Pay Schedule for Fiscal Year 2025/26
end
RECOMMENDATION
recommendation
Adopt Resolution No. 25-4844 entitled: A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Murrieta, California, Approving the Comprehensive Pay Schedule for Fiscal Year 2025/26.
body
PRIOR ACTION/VOTE
On July 2, 2024, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 24-4768, approving the Fiscal Year 2024/25 Comprehensive Salary Schedule (Vote: 5-0).
On September 3, 2024, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 24-4781, amending and Restating the Comprehensive Salary Schedule for Fiscal Year 2024/25 (Vote: 5-0).
On December 17, 2024, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 24-4800, amending and restating the Comprehensive Pay Schedule for Fiscal Year 2024/25 (Vote: 5-0).
CITY COUNCIL GOAL
Maintain a high performing organization that values fiscal sustainability, transparency, accountability and organizational efficiency.
BACKGROUND
The City of Murrieta (City) maintains a Comprehensive Pay Schedule (Pay Schedule) that is regularly presented to the City Council for review and consideration. Employees of the City receive a rate of pay within the established pay range for their job classification. The Pay Schedule is maintained in compliance with State regulations and is intended to ensure transparency and consistency when reporting compensation for City employees to the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS).
The Pay Schedule is also intended to satisfy the requirements of the Public Employees Retirement Law and California Code of Regulations (CCR) at 2 CCR 570.5 that public agencies contracting with CalPERS adopt a “Publicly Available Pay Schedule” for purposes of determining an employees’ “compensation earnable,” that is used to calculate retirement benefits.
The positions listed in the Pay Schedule may not necessarily be budgeted or funded in any given fiscal year. The City Council authorizes and funds specific positions during the adoption of the biennial budget and ongoing budget updates.
According to the City’s Personnel Rules (Resolution No. 91-64), the City Manager recommends adjustments to the Pay Schedule as salaries are adjusted and negotiated, and job classifications are created or revised. The proposed Resolution No. 25-4844 (Attachment 1) establishes the Pay Schedule for Fiscal Year 2025/26, updating the most recent pay schedule adopted pursuant to Resolution No. 24-4800.
If adopted, the Pay Schedule will reflect pay ranges for all City positions, including full-time and part-time employees, effective as of the start date reflected in the Schedule. The changes to the Pay Schedule are described in more detail below.
The following compensation updates reflected in the Pay Schedule have already been approved by the City Council:
• Adjustments to the classifications represented by the Murrieta Police Officers Association (MPOA) to allow for the 4% base compensation Cost-of-Living-Adjustment (COLA) authorized by the MPOA Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Period July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2026 (Resolution No. 24-4775).
• Adjustments to the classifications represented by the Murrieta Police Management Association (MPMA) to allow for the 4% base compensation COLA authorized by the Tentative Agreement for a successor MPMA MOU for the period July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2026 (Resolution No. 23-4674).
• Adjustments to the classifications represented by the Murrieta Firefighters Association (MFA) to allow for the 4% base compensation COLA authorized by the MFA MOU for the period July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2026 (Resolution No. 25-4833).
• Adjustments to the classifications represented by the Murrieta Fire Management Association (MFMA) to allow for the 4% base compensation COLA authorized by the MFMA MOU for the period July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2026 (Resolution No. 25-4818).
• Adjustments to the classifications represented by the Murrieta General Employees’ Association (MGEA) to allow for a 2.6% base compensation COLA authorized by the Tentative Agreement for a successor MGEA MOU for the period July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027 (Resolution No. 24-4783).
• Adjustments to the classifications represented by the Murrieta Supervisors’ Association (MSA) to allow for a 2.6% base compensation COLA authorized by the Tentative Agreement for a successor MSA MOU for the period July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027 (Resolution No. 24-4784).
• Adjustments to the classifications covered under the Management, Professional, and Confidential Employees’ Compensation Plan (MPC Compensation Plan) to allow for a 2.6% base compensation COLA authorized by the MPC Compensation Plan (Resolution No. 24-4785).
• A 2.6% increase in the base pay for the City Manager, consistent with the terms of the City Manager’s employment agreement (Resolution No. 24-4795). Section 2.2 of the City Manager’s employment agreement provides that the City Manager is entitled to receive a COLA equal to that of other management employees.
• Added compensation ranges for the following new classifications, which were recommended by the City Manager as part of the Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2025/26 and 2026/27, considered by the City Council on May 6, 2025, and adopted on June 3, 2025:
o Homeless Services Manager;
o Senior Fire Equipment Mechanic;
o Crime Scene/Property Evidence Specialist; and
o Senior Recreation Supervisor.
Additionally, the proposed updates to the Pay Schedule reflect the following compensation adjustment that has not been previously considered by the City Council:
• A 2.6% base pay adjustment to the compensation range for the City’s unrepresented part-time classifications. This is recommended for internal equity, so part-time pay stays aligned with the hourly rate of the full-time classifications receiving a COLA. The fiscal impact associated with this adjustment was included in the Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2025/26 and 2026/27, considered by the City Council on May 6, 2025, and adopted on June 3, 2025.
Finally, the updated Pay Schedule updates the title of the Business Development Program Manager classification to Economic Development Manager to better align titles used by benchmark agencies.
FISCAL IMPACT
The increases associated with previously approved labor agreements were approximately $3.7 million, which was included in the Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2025/26.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Resolution No. 25-4844