Boscobel’s City Council approved wage increases for city employees, including a one-time bump for library staff designed to set their pay rate comparable to other librarians in the state.
All other employees will receive a four percent increase, a number established to match the union contract with Boscobel’s Police Department.
Library Director Janelle Miller had pitched the pay raises for herself and her staff after examining both local and state-wide data showing Boscobel’s library personnel earned far less than their counterparts in other municipalities.
An overall increase of 15 percent, she argued, would achieve parity with other small-town libraries.
The council passed the wage increase unanimously with no discussion at its November 6 meeting, approving the recommendation of its Personnel Committee.
Wage comparisons
The four percent wage increase to other city departments results in a range from a low of $17.72 an hour for the Tuffley Center Director to a high of $54.92 an hour for City Engineer/Director of Public Works Mike Reynolds, a senior member of the staff. (See graphic.)
The median wage for all workers in Grant County is $14.37 an hour, according to data from the U.S. Census office. The average wage for city workers in Boscobel, at $32.89, is more than double that.
Compared to municipal employees statewide, however, local city workers earn less. Wisconsin’s municipal employees, including both rural and urban regions, earn an average wage of $39.18 per hour, according to the employment and recruitment company ZipRecruiter, which publishes reports and analysis on various job markets.
At the end of September, the annual inflation rate for the previous 12 months was 3.7 percent, according to the U.S. Labor Department.
Other business Meeting in chambers, the council also: Tabled approval of changes to the personnel manual involving insurance coverage.
Approved final pay requests for the street paving project of $43,894 to Augelli Concrete and Excavating, and $77,749.02 to Iverson Construction.
