title
To amend section III(B)(40) of the Pay Plan adopted by Ord. No. 2018-319 on Jan. 14, 2019, to modify the step-based pay system for sworn firefighters and police officers from a 14-step system to an 18-step system.
body
WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Richmond adopted a pay plan for the City of Richmond, hereinafter the “Pay Plan,” by Ordinance No. 2018-319, adopted January 14, 2019, and now desires to amend such pay plan;
NOW, THEREFORE,
THE CITY OF RICHMOND HEREBY ORDAINS:
§ 1. That section III(B)(4)(b) of the Pay Plan be and is hereby amended as follows:
40. Step-Based Pay System for Sworn Fire Fighters and Police Officers.
a. The following sworn fire and police classifications shall be part of a step based pay system as shown in Table 1, dated March 6, [2015] 2019 (a copy of which is attached hereto and incorporated herein):
Positions Range
Fire Recruit 1
Police Recruit 1
Fire Fighter I 2
Police Officer I 2
Fire Fighter II 3
Police Officer II 3
Fire Fighter III 4
Police Officer III 4
Fire Fighter IV 5
Police Officer IV 5
Master Fire Fighter 6
Master Police Officer 6
Fire Lieutenant 8
Police Sergeant 8
Fire Captain 10
Police Lieutenant 10
Fire Battalion Chief 12
Staff Battalion Chief 12
Police Captain 12
b. Sworn fire and police personnel shall be eligible to move to their appropriate step on July 1, 2006, and thereafter shall be eligible to move in accordance with this ordinance at the beginning of the first full pay period in July of each calendar year thereafter. The initial placement and future movement of sworn fire and police personnel in the classifications of Fire Fighter I, Fire Fighter II, Fire Fighter III, Fire Fighter IV, Master Fire Fighter, Police Officer I, Police Officer II, Police Officer III, Police Officer IV and Master Police Officer will be based on full years of sworn service after the completion of the Fire Academy or the Police Academy (as outlined in Table 2, dated [June 12, 2017] March 6, 2019, a copy of which is attached hereto and incorporated herein) or the step closest to but above their current salary, whichever is greater.
For purposes of this plan, sworn service time will begin upon graduation from the Fire Academy or the Police Academy less any break in service (except military or other leave as required by law), and step movement shall be based upon years of service as of June 30 of each year (e.g., an officer with 9 months of service as of June 30 will be considered to have 0 years of service) (Refer to Table 2). The initial placement of sworn fire and police personnel in the classifications of Fire Lieutenant, Fire Captain, Fire Battalion Chief, Staff Battalion Chief, Police Sergeant, Police Lieutenant and Police Captain shall be based upon service time in their current classification or the step closest to but above their current salary, whichever is greater, as outlined in Table 2. Future movement shall be based on the implementation schedule set forth in [Tables 4a and 4b dated March 6, 2015 (copies of which are] Table 3, dated March 6, 2019 (a copy of which is attached hereto and incorporated herein). [On July 8, 2017, subject to the provisions of the following sentence for sworn police personnel, (i) employees in the classifications of Police Officer I, Police Officer II, Police Officer III, Police Officer IV, Master Police Officer, Fire Fighter I, Fire Fighter II, Fire Fighter III, Fire Fighter IV, and Master Fire Fighter shall be eligible to advance their steps for FY2017 to the corresponding step for FY2018 as shown on Table 2, and (ii) employees in the classifications of Police Sergeant, Police Lieutenant, Police Captain, Fire Lieutenant, Fire Captain, Fire Battalion Chief, and Staff Battalion Chief shall be eligible to be placed in the step of their classifications which most closely corresponds to the step they would have attained had the step movement provisions of the step-based pay system been funded for each of the fiscal years from the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2006, and ending June 30, 2007, to the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2017, and ending June 30, 2018. For the purpose of properly advancing sworn police personnel from their steps for FY2017 as shown on Table 2 or their current step in accordance with Tables 3, 4a, or 4b within available funding for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2017, and ending June 30, 2018, the following shall apply based on the calculated differential between the pay applicable to each employee’s step on June 30, 2017, and the pay applicable to each employee’s step for FY2018 as shown on Table 2 or on Tables 3, 4a, or 4b:
(1) For sworn police personnel with the ranks of Police Officer I, Police Officer II, Police Officer III, Police Officer IV, and Master Police Officer, the employee’s differential shall be divided by two, the quotient of that division shall be added to the pay applicable to the employee’s step on June 30, 2017, and the result shall be rounded up to the next nearest step; provided that employees in step 14 on June 30, 2017, and employees with the rank of Police Recruit shall not receive an increase; and
(2) For sworn police personnel with the ranks of Police Sergeant, Police Lieutenant, and Police Captain, the employee’s differential shall be divided by two, the quotient of that division shall be added to the pay applicable to the employee’s step on June 30, 2017, and the result shall be rounded down to the next nearest step; provided that, where the aforementioned calculation would result in no change in step for the employee, in which case the employee will advance to the next step higher than the employee’s step on June 30, 2017.]
In order to relieve salary compression and with the concurrence of the Director of Human Resources, the Chief of Fire and Emergency Services or the Chief of Police may place sworn personnel at a higher step.
c. Movement through the steps for Fire Recruits, Police Recruits and all levels of Fire Fighters and Police Officers hired after July 1, 2006 shall be based on the schedule in Table [3] 4 dated March [26, 2009] 6, 2019 (a copy of which is attached hereto and incorporated herein).
d. Pursuant to the Career Development Plan, an employee shall move to the identical step in the higher range (e.g., if a Police Officer II is in Step 2 and moves up in the Career Development Plan, that police officer shall then move to a Police Officer III in Step 2) (Refer to Table 1).
e. [Sworn fire and police personnel promoted to higher classifications of Fire Lieutenant, Fire Captain, Fire Battalion Chief, Staff Battalion Chief, Police Sergeant, Police Lieutenant and Police Captain shall move to the next highest step within the new classification that guarantees at least a five percent increase over their former salary. Thereafter, such personnel would continue to move through steps based on the schedule set forth in Tables 4a and 4b (e.g., if a Master Police Officer is currently in Step 12, that officer would be promoted to Police Sergeant in Step 8) (Refer to Table 1).
f.] Sworn fire and police personnel currently in the retirement program DROP plan may not withdraw from the plan to return to regular service, and retirement benefits are based on the employee’s salary at the time of enrollment eligibility in the DROP plan.
[g.] f. Sworn police personnel hired into the Department of Police as lateral transfers shall be placed in the step plan based upon pro-rating their external sworn service to sworn service the Department of Police. The pro-rating ratio shall be determined by the Department of Police.
[h.] g. Sworn fire personnel hired into the Department of Fire and Emergency Services as lateral transfers shall be placed in the step plan based upon prorating their external sworn service to sworn service in the Department of Fire and Emergency Services. The prorating shall be determined by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services.
[i.] h. Sworn police personnel shall be eligible for special assignment pay up to $0.75 per hour. Assignments qualifying for this special assignment pay shall be determined by the Chief of Police with the approval of the Chief Administrative Officer.
[j.] i. Sworn fire personnel shall be eligible for special assignment pay up to $0.75 per hour. Assignments qualifying for this special assignment pay shall be determined by the Chief of Fire and Emergency Services with the approval of the Chief Administrative Officer.
[k.] j. Sworn fire and police personnel in the classified service shall no longer be a part of the Performance Based Pay System. However, to be eligible for a step increase, the employee must have obtained at least a “Meets Standards” or an equivalent rating on the employee’s last annual performance evaluation.
[l.] k. All salary increases and step advancements for which this section provides are subject to annual appropriations of sufficient funds therefore by the City Council.
§ 2. This ordinance shall be in force and effect on July 6, 2019.