City Management Positions Undergoing Compensation Review

Saint John council has approved a job evaluation and compensation review for the city’s 60 management and professional positions.

The third-party review, which will cost around $49,000, will look at the responsibilities for each position to help determine future compensation.

City manager John Collin said the review — the first in six years — is timely given last year’s workforce restructuring efforts within the city.

“I think every manager and professional staff’s job has changed to a degree except perhaps mine,” Collin told council Monday night.

“That’s why we have to look at them all, and with this number of 60, we are going to touch all of the management and professional staff.”

According to a staff report, the review will also include a benchmarking exercise with other organizations “to ensure the salary remains competitive and appropriately positioned in the market.”

While the review will “help inform future compensation changes,” human resources commissioner Stephanie Hossack said it will not require or demand salary changes.

“Changes to salary will always be considered within the broader context and affordability and sustainability while offering compensation that aligned as best as possible with market conditions,” said Hossack.

The city said any changes would also involve its wage escalation policy, which ties salary increases to Saint John’s assessment growth.

Coun. Brent Harris questioned why the city is not reviewing all workers instead of just those in management and professional positions.

“I’m just trying to imagine how we give ourselves the best bang for our buck on this,” said Harris.

Collin said the review does not apply to unionized workgroups as their compensation packages are addressed through collective bargaining.

The only other group not being looked at is non-unionized employees, whose jobs “did not significantly change” as a result of the restructuring, he said.