Title
Resolution to Approve Wage Increase for School Crossing Guards and Appropriate the Necessary Funds ($12,913.00) (8 Votes Required)
Memorandum
The attached resolution proposes to raise the pay rate for new and existing School Crossing Guards to $11.00 per hour beginning Sunday, March 5, 2017.
Budget/Fiscal Impact: The increased cost in pay for the remainder of FY17 is $12,913. The Ann Arbor Police Department requests that the funding for this pay increase be appropriated from the fund balance in the General Fund into the Ann Arbor Police Department budget for FY17. In FY18 and beyond the Ann Arbor Police Department will be requesting an increase to $12.00 per hour for school crossing guards as part of the FY18/19 budget process.
School crossing guards are currently paid the minimum wage of $8.90. The Ann Arbor Police Department staff has been experiencing difficulty hiring for vacant school crossing guard positions and have been unable to fill current vacancies for this position. When the crossing guard positions are unable to be filled, Ann Arbor Police Officers staff the positions as needed taking away valuable time from patrol and traffic enforcement. Other jurisdictions have rates of pay for their school crossing guards that exceed the minimum wage. For example, the City of East Lansing pays $12.00 per hour, the City of Sterling Heights pays $10.75 per hour to start and increases to $11.25 per hour after one year, and the City of Madison in Wisconsin pays $15.88 per hour.
School crossing guards are non-union employees. The proposed increase will have no effect on City collective bargaining agreements.
Staff
Prepared by: Kimberly Buselmeier, Financial Analyst
Reviewed by: James Baird, Chief of Police
Approved by: Howard S. Lazarus, City Administrator
Body
Whereas, The current rate of pay for school crossing guards is the minimum wage rate of $8.90 per hour;
Whereas, It has become increasingly difficult to recruit and retain school crossing guards at that rate of pay; and
Whereas, The Ann Arbor Police Department requests that the pay rate for new and existing school crossing guards be increased to $11.00 per hour effective March 5, 2017;
RESOLVED, That City Council set the pay rate for new and existing school crossing guards at $11.00 per hour effective March 5, 2017; and
RESOLVED, That City Council approve the use of and appropriate funding from the FY 17 General Fund fund balance to the Ann Arbor Police Department approved FY17 budget in the amount of $12,913.00 for the pay raise.