Fire Department Organizational Changes and Wage CompressionCity of Dubuque
City Council Meeting
Action Items # 08.
Copyrighted
December 18, 2023
ITEM TITLE: Fire Department Organizational Changes and Wage Compression
SUMMARY: City Manager recommending City Council approval of the Fiscal Year
2024 Fire Department organizational changes, creation of a new civilian
fire inspector position, and wage adjustments.
SUGGESTED Suggested Disposition: Receive and File; Approve
DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
MVM Memo
Staff Memo
Type
City Manager Memo
Staff Memo
THE CITY OF
DUiB El
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
Dubuque
All -America Cif
I�
2a07•2012.2013
2017*2019
SUBJECT: Fire Department Organizational Changes and Wage Compression
DATE: December 14, 2023
Fire Chief Amy Scheller is recommending some adjustments at the Fire Department.
The fire department completed an analysis of the current (and future) rank structure and
is making a request to utilize available personnel costs within the FY2024 budget to
make an adjustment to the administrative structure and provide additional support to the
fire chief in the management and oversight of the fire department. This adjustment has
three areas of impact. An adjustment to the administrative rank structure, an
adjustment to the assistant fire marshal and EMS supervisor salary, and a summary of
future organizational movement to be considered during the FY25 budget process
through additional improvement package requests.
Administrative rank structure adjustment
This memo requests the consideration of upgrading an assistant fire chief rank to a
deputy fire chief rank and adding a civilian fire inspector to our fire prevention bureau.
Ultimately, one assistant chief rank (fire marshal) would be eliminated in place of a
deputy fire chief rank.
The cost associated with adjusting an assistant chief rank to a deputy chief rank will be
approximately $13,500 for a full budget year. The department would not be able to
process the promotion for a minimum of 60 days. The potential maximum impact on the
FY24 budget would be $4,500.
The personnel cost associated with hiring a civilian fire inspector will be approximately
$78,000 for the full budget year. The department would take a minimum of 90 days to
fill this position. The potential maximum impact on the FY24 budget would be $19,500.
The addition of the deputy chief rank will provide an important resource for the
department. There is also a need to make an adjustment to the EMS supervisor and
assistant fire marshal position salary to maintain parity and avoid compression of
promoted ranks.
The fire department could avoid compression issue between promoted positions and
maintain alignment of the assistant fire marshal and EMS supervisor position with the
police lieutenant position by providing a 10% and 5% FY24 wage increase.
A 6% FY24 adjustment to the fire chief position would match an adjustment being made
to the Chief of Police position.
The department submitted several improvement package requests for consideration of
future positions which will be reviewed independently during the FY25 process.
$38,900 in funding would be required to support the requests outlined above and is
available from salary savings in the FY24 Fire Department budget.
I respectfully recommend Mayor and City Council approval of the FY24 organizational
changes, creation of a new civilian fire inspector position, and the wage adjustments.
/�� k�4
Mich el C. Van Milligen
MCVM:sv
Attachment
CC' Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
Amy Scheller, Fire Chief
Shelley Stickfort, Chief Human Resources Officer
Jennifer Larson, Chief Financial Officer
THE CITY OF
DUB El
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
DATE:
1►111:if] Billet 0Is] ►;
Mike Van Milligen, City Manager
Amy Scheller, Fire Chief
Fire Department Adjustment
December 12, 2023
Dubuque
MI-Ameriica Cily
2007.2012.2013
2017*2019
The fire department completed an analysis of the current (and future) rank structure and
is making a request to utilize available personnel costs within the FY2024 budget to
make an adjustment to the administrative structure and provide additional support to the
fire chief in the management and oversight of the fire department. This adjustment has
three areas of impact. An adjustment to the administrative rank structure, an
adjustment to the assistant fire marshal and EMS supervisor salary, and a summary of
future organizational movement to be considered during the FY25 budget process
through additional improvement package requests.
DISCUSSION:
Administrative rank structure adjustment
This memo requests the consideration of upgrading an assistant fire chief rank to a
deputy fire chief rank and adding a civilian fire inspector to our fire prevention bureau.
Ultimately, one assistant chief rank (fire marshal) would be eliminated in place of a
deputy fire chief rank. The organization would transition to the following structure:
1. Fire chief
2. Deputy chief
3. Division chiefs (3- 56-hour shift commanders), Assistant chief training
4. Captains, EMS Supervisor, asst fire marshal
5. Lieutenants
6. Medical officers
7. Firefighter paramedics/ fire equipment operators
The cost associated with adjusting an assistant chief rank to a deputy chief rank will be
approximately $13,500 for a full budget year. The department would not be able to
process the promotion for a minimum of 60 days. The potential maximum impact on the
FY24 budget would be $4,500.
The personnel cost associated with hiring a civilian fire inspector will be approximately
$78,000 for the full budget year. The department would take a minimum of 90 days to
fill this position. The potential maximum impact on the FY24 budget would be $19,500.
An adjustment to salary
The addition of the deputy chief rank will provide an important resource for the
department. There is also a need to make an adjustment to the EMS supervisor and
assistant fire marshal position salary to maintain parity with the level 3 salaries and
avoid compression of promoted ranks.
Level 1 police chief fire chief
Level 2 assistant police chief deputy fire chief
Level 3 captain division chiefs/ training chief
Level 4 lieutenant *captain/ EMS supervisor/ asst. fire marshal
Level 5 *corporal *lieutenant
Level 6 *patrol officer *firefighter paramedic/ Fire equipment operator
The fire department could avoid compression issue between promoted positions and
maintain alignment of the assistant fire marshal and EMS supervisor position with the
police lieutenant position by providing a 10% and 5% FY24 wage increase.
A 6% FY24 adjustment to the fire chief position would match an adjustment of the police
chief.
Future organizational considerations
The department submitted several improvement package requests for consideration of
future positions which will be reviewed independently during the FY25 process. This
includes a Bureau Chief of EMS position to oversee Emergency Medical Services and a
training captain position to assist with critically needed hands-on tactical training of our
94 operational personnel and an additional Deputy Fire Chief position replacing an
Assistant Fire Chief position where one Deputy Fire Chief would be operations and one
would be administration.
Budget Impact
$38,900 in funding would be required to support the requests outlined above.
An evaluation of the department's FY24 budget identified $99,723 in available full-time
salaries that could be used to offset this request. The department was delayed in the
hiring of an administrative assistant by 2 months in FY24 and is currently carrying two
vacancies in the full-time fire suppression account since September of this year.
RECOMMENDATION:
I respectfully request your approval to make the outlined, non -bargaining position
adjustments to create a deputy fire chief and fire inspector position and to adjust the
assistant fire marshal and EMS supervisor salaries to maintain appropriate
compensation and position separation between ranks. The allocation of $38,900
towards this request can be made from the full-time salaries (60100) line.
Additionally, to avoid compression in the future, all sworn non -bargaining positions will
need to receive the same wage increases awarded to sworn bargaining personnel.
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