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A resolution adopting a new pay plan for employees of the Metropolitan Departments of Police and Fire, effective July 1, 2025.
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WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Civil Service Commission has, pursuant to Section 12.10 of the Metropolitan Charter, assigned each employment classification to a salary grade as of July 1, 2025, with such assignments being equitably related to each other; and,
WHEREAS, the Civil Service Commission has adopted the salary ranges for each grade; and,
WHEREAS, the Director of Personnel for the Civil Service Commission has recommended, after the Commission’s approval, desirable salary ranges for each grade to the Director of Finance; and,
WHEREAS, pursuant to RS2024-483, a one-year pay plan was approved by the Metropolitan Council to go into effect on July 1, 2024; and,
WHEREAS, the pay plan adopted pursuant to RS2024-483 included increment pay increases earned at various time intervals, which the Metropolitan Government proposes to continue; and,
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Government further proposes that employees who are paid pursuant to open pay ranges be eligible to receive merit pay increases at Appointing Authority discretion; and,
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Civil Service Commission, through the Metropolitan Department of Human Resources, contracted with Mercer, a global consulting firm, to review and recommend needed changes to the classification and pay system for employees of the Metropolitan Government; and,
WHEREAS, the salary structure study compared the relationship of pay assigned to Metropolitan Government employee classifications to similar positions in the market and with comparable governmental entities; and,
WHEREAS, the classification and pay system study revealed that various pay and classification adjustments were recommended, including the creation of several classifications, changing the title of some classifications, upgrading the salary assigned to some classifications, creating new pay schedules for Information Technology classifications (IT), Director classifications (DP), and Trades and Labor classifications (TR), and increasing the Standard Range (ST), Open Range (OR), Police (PS) and Fire (FD), and School Patrol (SP, SS) pay scales, for equity and competitive purposes; and,
WHEREAS, the classification and pay system study recommended adjusting step schedules from 10 steps to 15 steps, with 2% increases between each step, and adjusting the timing of step increases in the Standard Range (ST) and Trades and Labor (TL) pay schedules to annual eligibility between each step; and,
WHEREAS, pursuant to Sec. 12.10 of the Metropolitan Charter, the Civil Service Commission has created the new employment classification of Fire Deputy Director Chief for this pay plan, necessitating the need to amend the pay plan adopted pursuant to RS2024-483 by adding this classification; and,
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 12.10 of the Metropolitan Charter, having been advised of its full budgetary implications, the Mayor has modified and approved the plan attached as Exhibit A, such modifications not affecting the relationships between the grades approved by the Civil Service Commission, and recommends its adoption, as modified, by the Metropolitan Council.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:
Section 1: The pay plan adopted pursuant to RS2024-483, and which went into effect on July 1, 2024, for employees of the Metropolitan Departments of Police and Fire, from and after July 1, 2025, shall be as provided in Exhibit A. Exhibit A reflects market increases of about 7%-8% for each pay grade, and the continuation of step increments and open range adjustments funded at 2%. Exhibit A is incorporated into this Resolution as if fully set out herein.
Section 2: The pay plan adopted pursuant to RS2024-483, and which went into effect on July 1, 2024, for the employees of the Metropolitan Departments of Police and Fire, from and after July 1, 2025, shall include the position of:
Classification Class Number Grade
Fire Deputy Director Chief 11385 FD13
Section 3: Additional funding shall be provided to each department in the amount of 2% of that department’s total annual open range salary budget so that employees in Open Range pay classifications will have the opportunity to receive merit-based salary increases, at the discretion of the Appointing Authority, as reflected in Exhibit A. Eligibility for Open Range salary increases for FY26 will become effective as of July 1, 2025.
Section 4: Upon the adoption of the pay plan attached as Exhibit A and upon it becoming effective, the pay plan adopted pursuant to RS2024-483 is hereby repealed.
Section 5: This Resolution shall take effect on July 1, 2025, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.
Agenda Analysis
Analysis
This resolution is the pay plan for the Police and Fire departments to take effect July 1, 2025. The primary effect of this resolution would be to continue the pay plan, continue increment pay, provide a 1% across-the-board increase, and provide for the possibility of merit pay increases for open range employees. Step increases known as “increments” are pay increases for certain employment classifications on a six-month, one-year, eighteen-month, or two-year interval, depending upon the position. Merit pay increases of 2% would be available for step and open range employees, as eligible. The amount of individual raises for open range employees are determined by department heads. The pay plan contemplates that open range employees are to be paid based upon merit, not length of service.
Per section 12.10 of the Charter, pay plans may not be amended by the Council except by making uniform modifications of all employment grades (because the relationship between pay grades must remain the same under the Charter). The pay plan amendments submitted by this resolution have been approved by the Civil Service Commission, Finance Director, and the Mayor.