Roseville Council Approves 3 Percent Salary Increase for Firefighters, Police, City Manager

Roseville City Councilmembers approved salary increases in a 4-1 vote honoring 2009 and 2010 contracts with labor groups and staff during Wednesday’s council meeting.

The approval gives management/confidential employees, members of Local 39, Roseville Firefighters Association and Roseville Police Association, the city manager and the city attorney 3 percent raises, effective immediately.

City Treasurer Russ Branson said in 2009 and 2010, the city asked members of the labor groups to take concessions to help balance the budget. All employees conceded 5 percent compensation and eliminated negotiated raises, and the city agreed to return those concessions in 2011, Branson said.

Mayor Pauline Roccucci voted against the salary increases during Wednesday’s vote, after asking fellow councilmembers to vote on management and labor groups separately, but councilmembers refused. Consistent with how she voted previously, Roccucci said she was in favor of salary increases for the labor groups, but not for management.

“With our economy and things that are going very difficult for the general public, this wasn’t the time to give raises to those people,” Roccucci said. “But again the others who opened up their negotiations and to help the city, that was a different matter.”

Branson said the city has been reducing expenses within the last several years. Expenses on materials, supplies and services were reduced by approximately $4.7 million, he said. In addition, the city shaved approximately $6 million off its budget by reducing staff by 176 full-time equivalent positions since 2007, Branson said.

Former councilmember Jim Gray shared his support with the current council on the contract approval.

“Let’s never forget that any organization’s most important asset are its employees – they are what make the organization run,” he told the council. “I don’t think that the people of the have really missed a beat in terms of the level of service that they receive. Our folks are stepping up, they’re doing a great job and we really need to honor those contracts and see to it that they are well taken care of.”