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The City of Missouri City gave employees an increase in their salaries on Saturday.

At a special meeting, members of the City Council approved an ordinance that provided a salary increase included in the recommendations submitted by City Manager Angel L. Jones. The recommendations emerged from a compensation study that began in October of 2022.

The compensation study was conducted by the coordinated efforts of the Finance, Human Resources and Legal departments, assisted by consulting firm Evergreen Solutions, LLC. According to City Manager Jones, this action represented an unprecedented effort. For the first time, a compensation study took place, taking into consideration all existing municipal positions.

“With the steady growth in population and the increasing number of businesses moving into our community, we knew that steps needed to be taken to guarantee we could hire and retain the best-qualified professionals to serve Missouri City,” said Jones.

The study, which included two phases, consisted of a comprehensive analysis that evaluated the pay scales of employees at other municipalities similar in size and scope to Missouri City. Phase 1 included employees who perform professional and administrative duties in the city, known as non-civil service employees. Phase 2 included sworn police officers and firefighters, known as civil service employees. The study showed that the pay ranges of many of our employees was below the market and in many instances the compensation received was below their counterparts in the same positions. Thus, the data obtained allowed city officials to identify various options to increase wages to the maximum amount allowed by the city’s resources.

Mayor Robin Elackatt praised the efforts of all employees involved in the study and highlighted the raises that police officers and firefighters will soon receive.
“The information obtained by the study demonstrated that things needed to change, and they have!” said Elackatt. “I am particularly proud of the salary increases that our police officers and firefighters will receive.”

For police officers, the base salary increased from $55,580 to more than $65,000. For firefighters, the base salary went from $50,557 to $60,484. Non-civil service employees will receive pay increases of at least 3 percent. When adjusted to the market study, many Missouri City employees’ salaries will increase by more than 3 percent.

“Thank you to the committee that worked so tirelessly in this effort,” said Mayor Elackatt. “I very much appreciate City Manager Angel Jones for her leadership and stepping in to make sure we could have the most accurate information. This will allow us to continue moving forward.”

The compensation adjustment will be reflected in employee paychecks dated May 26. This action is the first step towards ensuring the city will become competitive in hiring and retaining the most qualified professionals. Moreover, this salary increase guarantees the municipality will continue providing the public safety and quality of life that Missouri City residents expect and deserve.

During the Fiscal Year 2024 budget process, officials are expected to continue working to remain competitive in the market.