Aldermen Mike Phillips, Tony Patton and Jeremy Slowinski. (City-Times photo)

By Brandi Makuski

City leaders this week will have to consider several appeals from city workers unhappy with the new pay plan.

Mayor Andrew Halverson told the Common Council in May that over 40 employees have filed appeals with the city, asking for reconsideration of their placement within the city’s new pay plan, which was created by Madison- based consultant Carlson Dettmann.

Council Members haven’t been happy with the new pay plan from the start, first arguing the comparable cities against which Stevens Point would be measured for the new plan, then debating whether they had enough infor-mation about the process to approve the new plan. Halverson said the reworked plan better aligned Stevens Point with other municipalities, making it more competitive throughout the state and more likely to attract and retain employees.

Carlson Dettmann was hired in 2013 to conduct an in-depth study of city employee salaries and weigh them against private and public sector comparables from other cities in Wisconsin. The resulting new pay plan has brought forth 47 appeals from employees who say they were unfairly classified.

But the City Council wanted details on the process used in determining the end result of the study, which Carlson Dettmann refused to release, saying it was proprietary information.

After an unsuccessful open records request, City Councilman Mike O’Meara in April told the Council during open session he consulted with a lawyer independently and said the city should consider legal action against the company to obtain the data.

Halverson later told the Council the company had decided to no longer work with the city due to the indirect legal threat, but later the company agreed to stay on through the appeals process.

Halverson, along with Alderman Mike Phillips, who chairs the Stevens Point Personnel Committee, have spent the past several days considering each appeal.

According to city documents, about ten of the 47 appeals have been denied.

The full City Council will be asked for consider approving the measures taking by Halverson and Phillips, and could possibly hear a final appeal from some of the city employees who aren’t satisfied with the pair’s decision. The Council is expected to consider the matter at a special Council meeting this week.

The Council meets 7 PM on Monday, July 7 at the Lincoln Center. The public is welcome.