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Chairperson Tossey asked how many were told they had to leave the union to take a promotion, noting none were forced and did so voluntarily. He did not think it was fair to ask the public for more tax dollars to raise the salaries of the City's highest paid employees unless there is a big disparity Councilmember Kuzma stated those management positions that are paid higher than union positions include the function of management, and that is where the comparable will come in. Councilmember Backous stated some private companies have put a moratorium on higher paid positions. He noted other positions have been added to ease the burden and there are other work factors than the pay. Councilmember Backous stated if the City offers market or near market salaries and the employees are happy in their environment, they will stay. He stated the analysis has to compare like positions to like positions and it is the responsibility of the Council to determine the fair market value for each position. Chairperson Tossey agreed and stated there is a need to compare apples -to -apples and population alone is not an indicator. Human Resources Manager Lasher stated the League of Minnesota Cities has upgraded its salary survey so there are more factors considered than previously. She stated she will attempt to get the comparison as close to "apples -to -apples" as possible. It was the consensus of the Personnel Committee to ask staff to complete a wage study and market survey for each non -union position so the City's non -union salaries can be compared with market rates. 4.02: Resolution to Replace the Duties Left Vacant by the Fire Marshal Human Resources Manager Lasher reviewed the staff report and recommendation to authorize staff to move ahead with recruiting a Deputy Fire Chief posted at the position's full pay scale of $30.14 per hour to $37.67 per hour. The proposed position will provide back up for the Fire Chief, anticipates the need for succession planning, will assist with the on -going fire service consolidation effort, and is meant to ensure exemplary ongoing fire administration for the community. She noted the Fire Marshal's position in 2014 wages was budgeted for $102,988 and anticipated funding for this position is approximately $89,346. Fire Chief Kapler stated the consolidation effort will take a lot of work and he would like this position to be part of that, which will have a direct reflection on its success. He stated the breakdown into operations and code enforcement at a 60/40 split is not far from where it was before and there is need for flexibility in this job description because he does not see a lot of full- time positions in the future. Councilmember Backous stated he understands Fire Marshal Kohner's resignation resulted in a big loss. He asked if there were existing long-term employees that could be utilized for operations as a back up and whether the 40% of Code Enforcements/Inspection Services could be contracted. Personnel Committee / October 15, 2013 Page 4 of 9