|
Merit
Pay Program Survey
1. Does your city provide Merit Adjustments to employees?
2. How is "merit" determination made?
3.
Is there a policy outlining your merit increase policy?
28 cities responded;
13
provide Merit Adjustment
15
currently do not provide Merit Adjustment
|
|
City
|
Does
your city provide Merit Adjustments to employees?
|
How
is "merit" determination made?
|
Is
there a policy outlining your merit increase policy?
|
|
Alcoa
|
Yes
|
Performance
evaluation process scoring system
|
Yes
|
|
Brentwood
|
Yes
|
Tied
to beginning of fiscal year. Employee performance reviews are
in May. Once the budget is passed, department heads are allocated
a "pot" of money to award as merit raises which is calculated
as a % of that department’s payroll. We usually establish a maximum
% that a department head can give. We don’t put too many restrictions
on how department heads allocate their funds, but we do review
them to be sure that the raises are consistent with the evaluation
scores.
|
No
written policy, just long standing practice
|
|
Chattanooga
|
No
|
|
|
|
Cleveland
|
Yes
|
Step
increases in the pay grade are given each year, and can be withheld
if job performance does not meet expectations. There is no program
that grants additional pay for exceptional performance.
|
No
answer
|
|
Collierville
|
Yes
|
Based
on the annual performance evaluation and is a % of the employee’s
current annual salary. The maximum amount has been set as high
as 5% but this is determined each year when the budget is set.
|
Yes
|
|
Cookeville
|
Never
actually referred to it as merit pay
|
Annual
step increase on, or about, the anniversary date. For outstanding
performance, the director may recommend additional steps. This
raise can also be withheld for poor performance, or delayed till
performance improves. Otherwise, we only get annual COLA adjustments.
|
|
|
Covington
|
No
|
|
|
|
Knox
County Sherriff’s Office
|
Yes
|
Employee
must score a total of at least 20 points (out of a maximum of
36) and no score of zero (0) for any item (each item, nine total
items, is rated 0-4) on the annual evaluation form in order to
be eligible for a merit step increase
|
Yes
|
|
Etowah
|
No
|
We
do the July 1 raise for all employees.
|
|
|
Farragut
|
Yes
|
Annual
evaluation of each employee on anniversary employment date
|
No,
adopted by Board of Mayor and Aldermen as part of the budget
|
|
Franklin
|
Not
in the last two years
|
We
are overhauling the evaluation system. We determine merit based
upon formal performance evaluations. Before everyone was eligible;
I don’t think this will be the case in the future. We will probably
give COLA and then the top 15% - 20% will get merit pay.
|
In
progress
|
|
Gallatin
|
No
|
Just
step increases and COLA
|
|
|
Gatlinburg
|
Yes
|
We
have an automatic step incrase up to the job rate. It is "A-I".
Upon reaching "I", the employee is eligible for merit
pay based upon "performance exceeding expectations".
For 2003-04 and 2004-05 this has not been funded. Only COLA increases
given.
|
We
have an adminstrative policy that states the "performance
exceeding expectations". We do not define "performance
exceeding expectations" though.
|
|
Hendersonville
|
Yes
|
2.5%
annually if employee "meets" or "exceeds"
on performance evaluation, per ordinace.
|
No
answer
|
|
Jackson
|
No
|
|
|
|
Johnson
City
|
Beginning
next fiscal year
|
Still
developing
|
Still
developing
|
|
Kingsport
|
Currently
no, but working on implementing
|
It
will be a lump sum payment determined by evaluations and paid
annually. It will not attach to the base pay and the employee
will truly earn it year to year. We will budget in anticipation
that every employee will be eligible.
|
|
|
Knox
County
|
No
|
|
We
do have a guideline (not policy) that states a one-step raise
is given, contingent on available funds, for all employees who
score a 3.0 or higher on the annual performance evaluation.
|
|
Knoxville
|
Previously
yes, known as "Performance Pay", currently no due to
lack of funding
|
Who
received the performance pay was at the discretion of the department
director. The person had to have an above average rating on their
last performance appraisal and it had to be within the last year.
*See attached document for more information.
|
*See
attached document
|
|
Memphis
|
No
|
|
|
|
Millington
|
Yes
|
Determined
by the score on the performance evaluation
|
Yes.
it provides, of course, that if there’s not monies available,
employees may not get any pay for performance; we also give a
"general increase" so that everyone gets something unless
they "do not meet standard" on their performance evaluation.
|
|
Mt.
Juliet
|
No
|
|
|
|
Murfreesboro
|
No
|
|
|
|
Nashville
|
Yes
|
Made
by the supervisor and is shown onthe employee’s performance appraisal.
If employee receives a rating of "competent" or above,
the employee is eligible to receive a merit raise.
|
Yes
|
|
Portland
|
Previously
yes, currently no due to political situation
|
The
department head would supply the request in writing to the Mayor
with reason for increase. The Mayor would then take it under consideration
then approve or deny. Now it would go to Council because the Charter
stated that the Council set salaries but none have.
|
No
|
|
Sevierville
|
Yes
|
Based
on the score from their performance evaluation
score
= 2 is 2% merit increase
score
= 3 is a 2.5% merit increase
score
= 4 i sa 3% merit increase
|
Yes
|
|
Spencer
|
No
|
We
have adopted to go into effect July 1, 2004, a pay scale/step
pay system. Hope to eventually have an evaluation system that
will lead to merit increases as opposed to step increases.
|
|
|
Springfield
|
Yes
|
Unfortunately,
it is not really "merit" based. Employees receive an
annual performance evaluation, and anyone receiving a "satisfactory"
score of 3.0 or higher (scale of 0-6) gets a 3.4% increase (otherwords
a step increase). However, just under 50% of our employees are
"topped out" in their pay grade, which means they don’t
get the 3.4%. On the other hand, everyone gets a cost-of-living
adjustment annually. This year we get a 2.3% effective July 1st.
|
|
a)
The Civil Service Department provides evaluation forms and dates of
review to departments.
b)
Supervisors complete evaluations, and along with department directors,
make recommendations
for performance pay increases or bonuses within guidelines of budget
criteria;
all such performance pay increases shall be substantiated by specific
written justification
of the appointing authority.
c)
The evaluation and justification for salary increase or bonus are
returned to Civil Service Department to be reviewed for completeness
and compliance with rules and regulations; performance appraisal on
an employee being recommended must support such a recommendation and
must be up-to-date (within at least the last 12 months).
d)
Recommendations for pay increases that are complete and meet all rules
are then forwarded
to the Finance Department for budgetary consideration.
e)
Recommendations that are not complete or approved by both Civil Service
and Finance will be returned to the initiating Department with a written
explanation.
f)
No performance salary increase or bonus will be effective until both
the Civil Service and Finance Departments have approved it. Effective
dates of performance increases or bonuses
will be at the beginning of the next pay period after receiving final
approval.
g)
If an employee feels he/she has been treated unfairly with regard
to a performance pay increase, he/she may put any concerns in writing
to the Head of his/her department.
