The Baker City Council will consider a proposal Tuesday, April 8, to boost salaries for the city’s 13 non-union employees.

Councilors will meet at 6 p.m. at the OSU Extension Service office, 2600 East St.

Council chambers at City Hall is still being repaired after a roof leak in early January.

The proposed salary schedule for non-union employees, which includes the fire and police chiefs and public works and finance directors, calls for across-the-board cost-of-living increases of 2.7%, a figure based on the average consumer price index for 2024, according to a report to councilors from Heidi Quintela, the city’s human resource manager.

The proposed salary schedule proposes larger pay hikes — 13.8% — for three positions: finance director, fire chief and police chief.

The current base salary for those three jobs is $7,107 per month (the top salary, for employees with more than 20 years with the city, is $8,865).

The proposed salary schedule would increase the monthly base salary for the three jobs to $8,088.

That would match the base salary for the public works director, which is currently $7,875 per month and would increase by 2.7% to $8,088.

According to Quintela’s report to councilors, the fire and police chief, and finance director, are all jobs that “require high levels of specific certifications and experience that are equivalent to the responsibility and span of control of the public works director position. Furthermore, these three positions’ salary ranges are lower than salary ranges from comparable cities in Eastern Oregon.”

The proposed 2.7% cost-of-living increases for the other non-union positions would result in base salaries of:

• building official: $7,299 per month

• assistant public works director and project manager: $39.41 per hour

• police lieutenant: $6,991 per month

• human resource manager: $37.66 per hour

• technical administrative supervisor (public works): $33.37 per hour

• operations supervisor (public works): $33.37 per hour

• community development coordinator (new position): $31.37 per hour

• office manager: $31.37 per hour

• city recorder: $24.70 per hour

Also as part of the proposed resolution for non-union salaries, City Manager Barry Murphy can award merit-based pay increases of 1% to 5% for non-union workers based on their performance in 2024. Murphy will give councilors a list of merit-based pay hikes in the second quarter of the fiscal year.

In other business, councilors are scheduled to approve a fee schedule for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

Barry Murphy is proposing to keep fees the same, including for water and sewer service.

In a report to councilors, Murphy wrote: “Baker City funds across the board are healthy at this point, and the rates are set at an appropriate level to accomplish what is required in all City departments. Due to this fact, and the fact that the City had to raise several rates a significant amount last year, City staff recommends freezing rates for this year.”