UP Employees May Receive 3 Percent Pay Bump
University Park employees are expected to receive a three percent pay raise this upcoming year, provided the City Council approves the bump.
The raises would be the first in two years for the city’s 243 employees; the overall budget is expected to increase $1.247 million, or 2.9 percent. Said Kent Austin, city finance director, in a memo:
As I have said in the past three budgets, I want to commend our department heads and employees for preparing budgets that balance the current economic climate with continued delivery of quality services. Over the last three years, the General Fund budget has increased just 1.71%, compared to a 6.48% rise in the Consumer Price Index for Dallas-Fort Worth and a 9.3% increase in the Municipal Cost Index (MCI). [The MCI is a statistic developed by American City & County magazine that is designed to show the specific effects of inflation on the cost of providing city services. It differs from the Consumer Price Index by including elements common to cities, like health care, fuel, and construction materials.]
The Council will host a public hearing on the budget at 5 p.m. this afternoon, and is expected to vote on it during the Sept. 4 meeting.
