Study of salary levels for city employees could look at salaries in 15 other Iowa cities

The City of Decorah's Personnel Committee will be given a suggestion Monday on how to proceed with a study of salaries of city employees in comparable Iowa cities.

City Clerk Wanda Hemesath has given committee members, who requested the information, a list of 15 cities that could be selected as comparable to Decorah:

Atlantic
Carroll
Charles City
Denison
Grinnell
Independence
Keokuk
LeMars
Oskaloosa
Pella
Perry
Spencer
Storm Lake
Waverly
Webster City

It will now be up to the Personnel Committee to determine how to conduct the study.  How many other communities would be studied?  If Decorah's wages are found to be lower than those in comparable Iowa cities, how much of an adjustment would be made?  And which departments should be studied each year?

Hemesath is suggesting to committee members that they may want to separate those questions, deciding first which cities to study, then determining the level of wage adjustments, then setting the department study schedule.

The Personnel Committee will meet Monday night, five minutes after the conclusion of the City Council meeting.