TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Diego Chavez, Administrative Services Director
PREPARED BY: Michelle Tamez, Senior Human Resources Analyst
SUBJECT:
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Amending and Restating the Comprehensive Pay Schedule for Fiscal Year 2025/26
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ABSTRACT
Staff is proposing updates to the adopted Comprehensive Pay Schedule for Fiscal Year 2025/26. The updates include salary adjustments for several Engineering Department classifications to improve recruitment and retention, as well as a title change from Civil Engineering Assistant to Assistant Engineer. The proposed updates also add the Development Review Coordinator classification, which, along with an Administrative Assistant, will be funded through an expedited service fee designed to achieve full cost recovery. The Associate Engineer classification is also being established, but it is not currently funded or authorized to be filled and will be considered in a future budget. If approved, the updates will take effect on April 21, 2026, and increase the City’s authorized staffing by five (5) full-time positions.
RECOMMENDATION
recommendation
Adopt Resolution No. 26-4926 entitled: A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Murrieta, California, Adopting the Third Amended and Restated Comprehensive Pay Schedule for Fiscal Year 2025/26;
Amend the FY 2025/26 and 2026/27 Operating Budget as detailed in the fiscal impact statement; and
Approve the Updated Schedule of Authorized Positions.
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PRIOR ACTION/VOTE
On June 17, 2025, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 25-4844, Approving the Comprehensive Pay Schedule for Fiscal Year 2025/26 (Vote: 5-0).
On August 19, 2025, the City Council adopted Resolution No.25-4880, Amending and Restating the Comprehensive Pay Schedule for Fiscal Year 2025/26 (Vote: 5-0).
On December 16, 2025, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 25-4902, Amending and Restating the Comprehensive Pay Schedule for Fiscal Year 2025/26 (Vote: 5-0).
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT
The City Council’s goal of maintaining a high performing organization that values fiscal sustainability, transparency, accountability and organizational efficiency is associated with this administrative priority.
DISCUSSION
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 (Exhibit A to Attachment 1) 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 employee’s “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 clarifications are created or revised. The proposed Resolution No. 26-4926 (Attachment 1) amends and restates the Pay Schedule for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025/26 previously adopted under Resolution No. 25-4844, and most recently amended by the adoption of Resolution No. 25-4880 and 25-4902. The changes to the Pay Schedule are described in more detail below.
1. If the proposed Resolution is adopted, the compensation range for several positions within the Engineering Department will be increased as detailed below. The increases are recommended due to the challenges in attracting and retaining qualified engineering candidates. Recent recruitment efforts have resulted in a limited pool of qualified applicants, forcing the department to underfill certain positions or readvertise openings. The proposed adjustments will make the compensation ranges more competitive with neighboring cities, including Temecula, Menifee, and Wildomar. The proposed salary increases are expected to be funded through new financing strategies aimed at achieving cost neutrality. These strategies are still being developed and will be finalized in coordination with the Finance Department. One potential approach is allocating costs to Capital Improvement Program (CIP) projects based on staff hours worked on those projects. The Finance and Engineering departments have discussed this approach and are planning to implement standard operating procedures and a time-tracking mechanism to allocate costs to the respective CIP projects. Other strategies include identifying contract service cost savings and other cost-recovery methods intended to help offset the cost of the proposed increases.
• The annual compensation range for the Civil Engineering Assistant classification is proposed to range from $90,433.78 - $109,922.84. The highest step of the range is proposed to increase by approximately $13,637.19 or 14.16%. The updated Pay Schedule also updates the title of the Civil Engineering Assistant to Assistant Engineer.
• The annual compensation range for the Associate Civil Engineer classification is proposed to range from $115,487.67 - $140,376. The highest step of the range is proposed to increase by approximately $14,869.41 or 11.85%.
• The annual compensation range for the Senior Civil Engineer classification is proposed to range from $130,508.28 - $158,633.65. The highest step of the range is proposed to increase by approximately $16,811.23 or 11.85%.
• The annual compensation range for the Principal Civil Engineer classification is proposed to range from $147,482.52 - $179,265.94. The highest step of the range is proposed to increase by approximately $18,494.11 or 11.50%.
• The annual compensation range for the City Engineer classification is proposed to range from $166,664.47 - $202,581.72. The top of the range is proposed to increase by approximately $10,003.01 or 5.19%.
The City has met and conferred with the affected employee organizations regarding the increases and title change as required by the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (MMBA), Government Code 3500 et seq., and the Employer-Employee Relations Resolution (Resolution No. 93-214). (Note, however, that the meet and confer requirement does not apply to the Management, Professional, and Confidential unrepresented Principal Civil Engineer and City Engineer classifications.)
2. If the proposed Resolution is adopted, a compensation range will be added for the new classification of Development Review Coordinator. This position will serve as the primary point of contact for assigned development projects. The position will be part of a new two-person team responsible for end-to-end project coordination from initial project submittal through final approval. The Development Review Coordinator will collaborate across City departments on behalf of applicants and external agencies to keep projects on track and aligned with City policies and development objectives. This position is intended to drive progress, streamline processes, and play a key role in delivering projects on time. The Development Review Coordinator and an Administrative Assistant will be funded through an expedited service fee set to achieve full cost recovery, applicable to developers who elect to utilize the enhanced service. Developers will be required to provide a deposit, with cost recovery achieved by applying the staff’s fully burdened hourly rate against that deposit. The Finance and Development Services Departments have coordinated on this approach and plan to implement standard operating procedures along with a time-tracking mechanism to support it.
The proposed annual compensation range for this classification is $95,617.55 - $116,223.74. Bargaining unit allocation of this new position is still pending, and the final implementation of adding this new classification and the compensation range is subject to any meet-and-confer that may be required by the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (MMBA), Government Code §3500 et seq., and the City’s Employer-Employee Relations Resolution.
3. If the proposed Resolution is adopted, a compensation range will be added for the new classification of Associate Engineer. The addition of the Associate Engineer classification is recommended to support the City’s succession planning efforts within the Engineering Department. This position serves as a transitional classification that bridges the gap between the Assistant Engineer and Associate Civil Engineer levels, providing a clear career pathway for developing staff. This is an unlicensed classification, and establishing this role will prepare employees to meet the technical and licensure requirements associated with higher-level classifications. Funding and authorization to fill this new classification are not currently planned and will be requested during the adoption of a future budget, at a tune determined and proposed by the department.
The proposed annual compensation range for this classification is $102,195.82 - $124,219.68, which positions it between the Assistant Engineer and Associate Civil Engineer classifications, ensuring appropriate internal alignment and supporting a structured progression between the two levels. Bargaining unit allocation is still pending, and the final implementation of adding this new classification and the compensation range is subject to any meet-and-confer that may be required by the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (MMBA), Government Code §3500 et seq., and the City’s Employer-Employee Relations Resolution.
Police Department Overfill Positions
The Police Department periodically experiences staffing gaps when sworn officers are on Workers’ Compensation Temporary Total Disability (TTD) status pending final medical determination that will likely lead to a separation. During these periods, minimum patrol staffing levels must still be maintained, often requiring existing personnel to work extended hours and increased overtime, which can lead to escalating costs and officer fatigue over time. Given that the recruitment and hiring process for a police officer typically takes five (5) to six (6) months, the Police Chief is requesting authorization to establish up to three temporary overfill police officer positions. This approach will allow the Department to proactively initiate recruitment when it becomes reasonably certain that an officer on TTD status will not return, thereby ensuring continuity of service, maintaining operational readiness, and reducing long-term reliance on overtime.
If approved, the amended and restated FY 2025/26 Pay Schedule will be effective April 21, 2026. Compensation ranges for the individual classifications described above will be effective as of April 19, 2026, which is the first day of the current pay period.
Schedule of Authorized Positions
The proposed action includes approving three (3) new positions (i.e., Development Coordinator Review, Associate Engineer, GIS Administrator), three temporary overfill police officer positions, and two position title changes (i.e., Civil Engineering Assistant to Assistant Engineer). The net impact on the Schedule of Authorized Positions is an additional five (5) Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) positions for FY 2025/26, which increases the total FTE positions from 467.09 to 472.09 (Attachment 2). The GIS Administrator is a new classification that provides a career advancement opportunity and does not result in a net increase in FTE, as the lower-level GIS Analyst position will not be backfilled upon advancement.
PUBLIC NOTICING
The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of
the meeting at which the City Council considers the item).
CEQA AND REGULATORY OVERVIEW
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because this action will not result in a physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly.
FISCAL IMPACT
The fiscal impact associated with amending the Pay Schedule to increase the compensation ranges of the five engineering classifications described above is approximately $130,304. The proposed salary increases are expected to be funded through cost allocation to Capital Improvement Program (CIP) projects based on staff hours worked on those projects.
The fiscal impact associated with amending the Pay Schedule to add the compensation range for the new Development Review Coordinator classification described above is approximately $173,906. The proposed position's salary is expected to be funded through charges for services based on the position’s fully burdened hourly rate to be charged against the deposit to achieve full cost recovery.
The three temporary overfill police officer positions are expected to be funded through salary savings, particularly overtime.
Staff recommends amending the FY 2025/26 and 2026/27 Operating Budgets to increase appropriations in each department’s personnel budget line items and to increase corresponding revenue budgets to reflect cost recovery from charges for services within those departments.
ATTACHMENTS
ATT 1 - Resolution No. 26-4926
ATT 2 - FY 2025/26 Schedule of Authorized Positions