In order to be compliant with the state's pay equity law ensuring fair wages for women employees compared to male employees in similar positions, Brainerd's human resources coordinator position will be getting a $375 a month raise.

The Brainerd City Council at its annual workshop Tuesday approved the wage increase by a 4-2 vote, with council members Dale Parks, Kelly Bevans, Bonnie Cumberland and Lucy Nesheim in favor and Mary Koep and Bob Olson opposed. Kevin Goedker was absent and there were no one in the audience besides a reporter and city officials.

In a memo to the council, City Administrator Dan Vogt wrote that the rationale behind adjusting the human resources coordinator's pay was because the job duties and responsibilities of the position, work product and recent achievement of human resources certification warrant the increase. The position is filled by Kris Schubert.

"I fully realize that this will be an unpopular and difficult decision to make," Vogt wrote to the council. "... while I understand the intent of the law requiring similar pay for similarly valued work regardless of the person's gender, it is my opinion that this has become one of the most costly unfunded mandates that the state has adopted in my career. 

“The increased overall personnel cost is especially obvious when hiring lower level employees with pay rates that appear to be substantially higher than local market forces dictate.”

The city’s pay equity report is due to the state at the end of January. Vogt said a non-compliance notice would probably be sent out in August or September, meaning the council could wait on its decision until then. 

In voting against, Olson said he agreed with Vogt’s concerns and felt the council should wait to make a decision until it knows more about the point system used for pay equity. He said he also agreed with Vogt’s recommendation that the entire system should be reviewed. 

Olson said the pay equity adjustment given to the human resources coordinator position, at between $4,500 to $5,000 a year, could be spread over all positions filled by women. 

“It’s a little bit discrimination, I’ll say that,” Olson said. “I get a little leery when we just look at increasing one position.”

Bevans, while not agreeing with the pay equity system, said that he voted in favor because being in compliance now means the city won’t have to make adjustments for three more years; that to spread it to all women employees could cause problems with union-negotiated contracts, which the human resources coordinator is not part of; and half the $5,000 would be picked up by Brainerd Public Utilities.

“The only other alternative I see is trying to get some of the male employees to take decreases and I don’t see that happening,” Bevans said. “There’s probably a lot more we  could learn about pay equity but all I really needed to know is we’re out (of compliance) and we need to get in.”

Koep suggested before making a decision the city should contact legislators to change what she called archaic laws regarding pay equity.  She also expressed concern with having to give the position $5,000 when Schubert didn’t even ask for it.

Bevans and Cumberland also noted that not being in compliance could cost the city up to $175,000 in local government aid, per state law. 

In other workshop action, the council:

Approved allowing council meeting minute takers, under the guidance of Vogt, to scale back the amount of information in council minutes. The council would then review the decision after three council meetings. Vogt said according to guidelines in parliamentary procedure, minutes should be a record of actions and proceeding, but not of discussions. He said a few years ago the city kept almost verbatim minutes before scaling back. He also noted that the minutes of the Crow Wing County Board do not include discussion. Bevans said he preferred staff have the discretion on how to scale back so the council wouldn’t be dictating what it wants. Vogt said if the council believes staff has gone too far additional direction can be given after three meetings. 

Shut off the television cameras, the microphones and broke into two groups to discuss community marketing and the possibility of not charging certain city fees for a select time in an effort to spur growth. 

On fees, one group — Cumberland, Bevans, Koep — suggested giving them up with certain criteria and evaluating it after a time to see if it’s working. On marketing, the group said budgeting was a concern as marketing came with a cost; what the role of the council should be; being proactive and knowing in advance what the city should offer for incentives before a developer came before the council; focus on commercial, industrial and general business; evaluate the city’s economic development policy; and discuss the issue with legislators. 

The second group — Nesheim, Parks and Mayor James Wallin — said in order to stimulate construction to provide job growth, the city should reduce building fees for three months at a rate of 75 percent for residential and 50 percent for commercial. 

Olson, who was not feeling well, left the workshop before the marketing and fees discussion. The information from the groups will be compiled by staff and presented to the city council.

Held brief discussion on what the role of council liaisons should be and terms of committee members but took no action. 

MATT ERICKSON may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.