TO: Members of the City Council
FROM: Mayor Angela Birney
DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR CONTACT(S):
|
Human Resources |
Cathryn Laird |
425-556-2125 |
DEPARTMENT STAFF:
|
Human Resources |
Mary Grady |
Senior HR Analyst |
TITLE:
title
Approval of 2026 Non-Represented Pay Plans
OVERVIEW STATEMENT:
recommendation
Due to the 2026 Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA), the following salaries and Pay Plans are being updated: Non-represented Executive (“E”); Non-represented Regular (“N”) and Non-represented Supplemental (“N-S”); General Supplemental (“G-S”). New classifications of Assistant Chief Operating Officer, Paralegal, Financial Analyst - Principal, and Human Resources Generalist are being requested. In addition, select titles and salaries have been removed or changed due to market adjustment. Details of the changes are listed under the “Outcomes” section.
body
☐ Additional Background Information/Description of Proposal Attached
REQUESTED ACTION:
☐ Receive Information ☐ Provide Direction ☒ Approve
REQUEST RATIONALE:
• Relevant Plans/Policies:
N/A
• Required:
City Council is required to authorize salary and/or classification changes to Pay Plans, in accordance with the City of Redmond Personnel Manual Section 7.10.
• Council Request:
N/A
• Other Key Facts:
N/A
OUTCOMES:
Approval by City Council is being sought for the following Pay Plan changes:
Non-Represented. Changes to non-represented “E,” “N,” “N-S,” and “G-S” Pay Plans are provided a 2026 COLA increase. The increases are to ensure those salary ranges remain within market. Changes to the “E,” “N,” “N-S,” and “G-S” Pay Plans include a 2026 COLA increase of 3.8%.
The salary grades on Pay Plan “E” have been adjusted by market and the following titles have been updated and/or moved to new salary grades: City Attorney, Parks & Recreation Director, Deputy City Attorney, Deputy Fire Director, Deputy Public Works Director, and Deputy Chief Information Officer. Additionally, changes to the “E” Pay Plan include adding a new classification titled Assistant Chief Operating Officer. The new classification restores an executive manager to the Mayor’s Office that was reduced due to budget constraints prior to 2020. The new classification will fill some gaps in the Executive Office, including:
• Provide a clear line of succession for the Chief Operating Officer’s position.
• Provide management oversight to city departments and Executive Office Divisions. Since 2020, the Executive Office has grown by 14 FTEs to support new City programs such as, Environmental Sustainability, Grant Management, City Attorney, and Respect, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) programs as well as Federal Lobbyist services. With the growth, the span of control for the two senior managers (COO and Deputy Director) has become too large.
• Provide strategic oversight and direction along with the Mayor and COO.
Changes to the “N” and “N-S” Pay Plans include adding new classifications titled Paralegal, Financial Analyst-Principal, and Human Resources Generalist. The new classifications are needed to provide added services, including:
• Principal Financial Analyst will focus on the City’s revenue streams and add higher-level financial analyst work to address the specialty focus.
• Human Resources (HR) Generalist is the same classification level as the HR Analyst, with the Generalist having an entry-level knowledge of HR that requires a broader focus verses the Analyst being more specialized in an HR function.
• The Paralegal classification N pay plan is a confidential legal position versus the Paralegal in RCHEA handles a broad variety of non-confidential paralegal support.
Additionally, the salary grades on Pay Plan “N” have been adjusted by market and the following titles have been moved to new salary grades: City Engineer, Information Services Manager, Security Compliance Manager, Planning Manager, Public Works Maintenance Manager, Utilities Manager, Public Safety Communications Manager, Police Support Services Manager, DEI Program Advisor, Human Resources Analyst - Senior, Real Property Manager, Police Crime Analyst (Limited Duration), and Police Program Coordinator (Limited Duration). The following titles have been eliminated from Pay Plan “N”: Purchasing/Contracting Manager and Payroll Analyst.
COMMUNITY/STAKEHOLDER OUTREACH AND INVOLVEMENT:
• Timeline (previous or planned):
N/A
• Outreach Methods and Results:
N/A
• Feedback Summary:
N/A
BUDGET IMPACT:
Total Cost:
Finance included COLAs and salary adjustments in the 2025-2026 Budget documentation that was presented to Council. This means effective January 1, 2026, salary adjustments are budgeted for and can be provided to employees in the Pay Plans listed above. New classifications are being added to the pay plans to handle specific bodies of work related to that classification, but no new FTEs are being added to the budget. Existing staff may be reclassified up or down into these new classifications and that department’s budget will be required to absorb the cost if the movement is up.
Approved in current biennial budget: ☒ Yes ☐ No ☐ N/A
Budget Offer Number:
N/A
Budget Priority:
Strategic and Responsive
Other budget impacts or additional costs: ☐ Yes ☐ No ☒ N/A
If yes, explain:
N/A
Funding source(s):
N/A
Budget/Funding Constraints:
N/A
☐ Additional budget details attached
COUNCIL REVIEW:
Previous Contact(s)
|
Date |
Meeting |
Requested Action |
|
11/18/2025 |
Business Meeting |
Provide Direction |
|
12/9/2025 |
Committee of the Whole - Finance, Administration, and Communications |
Provide Direction |
|
1/6/2026 |
Committee of the Whole - Planning and Public Works |
Provide Direction |
Proposed Upcoming Contact(s)
|
Date |
Meeting |
Requested Action |
|
|
None proposed at this time |
Click and select an action from the dropdown menu. |
Time Constraints:
Implementation of wage and salary range changes is targeted for January 1, 2026. Approval in 2025 will allow HR and Payroll staff time to complete the required communicating, processing, and implementing of the changes without the need for retroactive pay.
ANTICIPATED RESULT IF NOT APPROVED:
Delays to the January 1, 2026, COLA adjustment for the non-represented pay plans result in unfair treatment between union and non-union employees and will result in disgruntled employees and potential employment action taken against the City. Additionally, calculating retroactive pay to January 1, 2026, could result in payroll processing errors due to calculation complexities.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A: Proposed Salary Ordinance for Executive Pay Plan
Exhibit 1: 2026 Executive Pay Plan “E”
Attachment B: Proposed Salary Ordinance for Non-Represented and Non-Represented Supplemental Pay Plans
Exhibit 1: 2026 Non-Represented Pay Plan "N"
Exhibit 2: 2026 Non-Represented Supplemental Pay Plan “N-S”
Attachment C: Proposed Salary Ordinance for General Supplemental Pay Plan
Exhibit 1: 2026 General Supplemental Pay Plan “G-S”
Attachment D: 2026 Pay Plan Updates - Summary of Changes