By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
A lot goes into determining pay scales, base wages, and maximum wages. During Monday night’s meeting, the Great Bend City Council approved a $32,000 bid from Evergreen Solutions LLC to complete a compensation study for city employees. City Administrator Logan Burns said the last study was completed approximately eight years ago.
“Our last compensation study was conducted in 2018,” he said. “Since that time, we’ve adjusted the city’s pay scale a number of times. With staffing challenges continuing, our desire to make city jobs appealing as applicants compare wages, and retaining our current staff, we feel the time has come to complete a new compensation study.”
The city received 13 bids for the study, with Evergreen presenting the low bid. Burns said Evergreen has a good reputation around the state, including cities that are comparable to Great Bend.
“The city also reached out for multiple references,” he said. “Everything we received back for Evergreen was very good. They do a number of cities all over the state. Most recently, I think it was Salina, a lot up in the Kansas City area, along with Wichita and Sedgwick County.”
The study will not include the annual four-percent merit raise, which was just added on the last city payroll. Council Member Jay Luerman asked if the city budget could handle a large change. Burns said any significant changes could be spread out over one to three years. Evergreen will also give the city tools to make future changes to the pay scale easier. The council voted 8-0 to approve the study, which will begin in mid-March and wrap up in July with a report to the council.