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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrdinance No. 3524-2026KENAI CITY OF KENAI ORDINANCE NO. 3524-2026 Sponsored by: Administration AN ORDINANCE AMENDING KENAI MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION 23.25.065 - SHIFT DIFFERENTIAL PAY, TO UPDATE SHIFT HOURS AND TO CLARIFY ELIGIBILITY; AND SECTION 23.55.030 QUALIFICATION PAY, TO ENSURE APPROPRIATE COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS TO CITY EMPLOYEES COMPARABLE TO OTHER PLACES OF PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT WHICH ALLOWS THE CITY TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES. WHEREAS, pursuant to KMC 23.15.010, the City Manager prepares and recommends revisions and amendments to the personnel regulations as deemed necessary; and, WHEREAS, the City and other comparable government employers have experienced workforce challenges in recent years, requiring continued efforts to recruit and retain qualified employees to meet the needs and expectations of the community; and, WHEREAS, the City conducted a review of compensation practices, including shift differential pay and qualification pay for police and paramedics, and has identified opportunities to improve clarity, consistency and competitiveness in these areas; and, WHEREAS, clarification of shift definitions, including revised start times, is necessary to ensure consistent and equitable application of shift differential pay; and, WHEREAS, qualification pay is an important tool to recognize specialized skills, certifications and training for assignments that support effective public safety and municipal operations; and, WHEREAS, amendments to update the hours for shift differential pay and increase the qualification pay for paramedics is in the best interests of the City, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA, AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. Amendment of Section 23.25.065 of Kenai Municipal Code: That Kenai Municipal Code, Section 23.25.065, Shift Differential Pay, is hereby amended as follows: 23.25.065 Shift Differential Pay. (a) Eligible full-time regular employees [WHO WORK CERTAIN SHIFTS EXPLAINED BELOW] assigned to work certain shifts are entitled to additional compensation. To be eligible, the scheduled shift must be for a period of less than twenty-four (24) hours. (b) Eligible shifts and rates are: (1) Swing Shift begins [AT OR AFTER 2:00 P.M.] between 12:00 noon and [BEFORE] 6:00 p.m. — three percent (3%) (2) Graveyard Shift begins [AT OR AFTER] between 6:00 p.m. and [BEFORE] 3:00 a.m.—six percent (6%). New Text Underlined; [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] Ordinance No. 3524-2026 Page 2 of 4 (c) [THE ABOVE RATES] Shift differential pay will be computed [AGAINST] as a percentage of the employee's current range and step [OF THE EMPLOYEE]. Shift differential pay is not [TO BE] considered in computing annual leave or holiday pay. (d) [ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES RECEIVE SHIFT DIFFERENTIAL PAY FOR EACH ELIGIBLE SHIFT WORKED] Shift differential pay applies only to approved shifts that begin within the qualifying period identified in subsection (b). (e) Shift differential pay will be allowed only upon approval of the City Manager when such [WORK SCHEDULE IS] shifts are necessary for the benefit of the City. Section 2. Amendment of Section 23.55.030 of Kenai Municipal Code: That Kenai Municipal Code, Section 23.55.030, Qualification Pay, is hereby amended as follows: 23.55.030 Qualification Pay. (a) In recognition of professional development, personal time, and effort of the individual to achieve same, the following annual recognition entitlement is authorized, payable on a pro rata monthly basis. (b) When this recognition entitlement is calculated based on an employee's current range and step, it will be included in hourly rates for annual leave or holiday pay. (1) Police Department. (i) Certification in accordance with State of Alaska Certification Standards as follows: Intermediate An additional two and one -quarter percent Certification (2.25%) Of [STEP A OF THE POLICE OFFICER RANGE] the employee's current range and step. Eligible grades are Police Officer and Police Sergeant. Advanced An additional three and three-quarters (3.75%) Certification of [STEP A OF THE POLICE OFFICER RANGE] the employee's current range and step. Eligible grades are Police Officer, Police Sergeant, Police Lieutenant, and Police Chief. (ii) Recognition Pay for Qualified Senior Officers. Senior officer pay is for police officers who have completed five (5) years of service with the City of Kenai subject to an overall evaluation rating of "Meets Expectations" or better, as follows: An additional five percent (5%) of the employee's current range and step. (iii) Recognition pay for qualified field training officer personnel for officers temporarily assigned field training officer duties for eligible shifts only as follows: Five percent (5%) increase of the employee's current range and step. (iv) Recognition pay for qualified "investigator" personnel for temporary assignment as an investigator when the assignment is the employee's primary assignment and the assignment has been approved by the City Manager or designee as follows: Five percent (5%) increase of the employee's current range and step. New Text Underlined; [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] Ordinance No. 3524-2026 Page 3 of 4 (v) Recognition pay for qualified Public Safety Dispatcher personnel for employees temporarily assigned dispatcher training duties for eligible shifts only as follows: An additional five percent (5%) of the employee's current range and step. (2) Fire Department. (i) Recognition entitlement for an associate degree in fire science is four hundred eighty dollars ($480.00) per year. Eligible grades are fire fighter, engineer, and captain. (ii) Recognition entitlements for EMT certification for eligible grades of fire fighter, engineer, captain, Fire Marshal, Deputy Fire Chief, and Fire Chief are as follows: EMT/EMS Instructor An additional one-half percent (0.5%) of Step A of the Fire Fighter range. EMT III/Advanced An additional two and one -quarter Emergency Medical percent (2.25%) of Step A of the Fire Technician (AEMT) Fighter range. Paramedic An additional [FIVE] fifteen percent (15%) of the employee's current range and step (included AEMT pay). (iii) Recognition entitlements for driver/operator qualified personnel for eligible grades of fire fighter are as follows: Driver/Operator An additional five percent (5%) of Qualified the employee's current range and step. (3) Water and Sewer Utility. Certification in accordance with the State of Alaska Certification Standards. W & S II $300/year W & S III $480/year (4) City Clerk's Office. Certification in accordance with International Institute of Municipal clerks. Certified Municipal Clerk An additional two and one-half percent (2.5%) of the employee's current range and step. (5) Building Plans Examiner. Recognition pay for certification in accordance with the International Code Council as a Building Plans Examiner beyond the basic requirements of the employee's position, which provides substantial cost savings or additional benefit to the City, upon recommendation by the department head and approval of the City Manager as follows: New Text Underlined; [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] Ordinance No. 3524-2026 Page 4 of 4 An additional two and one -quarter percent (2.25%) of the employee's current range and step. (6) Public Works Assistant Director. Recognition pay for holding a license in accordance with the State of Alaska Professional Engineer (PE) license beyond the basic requirements of the employee's position, which provides substantial benefit to the City, upon recommendation by the department head and approval of the City Manager as follows: An additional five percent (5%) of the employee's current range and step. Section 3. Severability: That if any part or provision of this ordinance or application thereof to any person or circumstances is adjudged invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, such judgment shall be confined in its operation to the part, provision, or application directly involved in all controversy in which this judgment shall have been rendered, and shall not affect or impair the validity of the remainder of this title or application thereof to other persons or circumstances. The City Council hereby declares that it would have enacted the remainder of this ordinance even without such part, provision, or application. Section 4. Effective Date: That pursuant to KMC 1.15.070(f), this ordinance shall take effect 30 days after enactment. ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KE Approved by Finance:ye Introduced: May 20, 2026 Enacted: June 3, 2026 Effective: July 3, 2026 New Text Underlined; [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] L I000, City of Kenai MEMORANDUM K E N 4 210 Fidalgo Ave, Kenai, AK 99611-7794 1907.283.75351 www.kenai.city TO: Mayor Knackstedt and Council Members THROUGH: Terry Eubank, City Manager FROM: Stephanie Randall, Human Resources Director DATE: May 6, 2026 SUBJECT: Ordinance 3524-2026 Amending Kenai Municipal Code section KMC 23.25.065 — Shift Differential Pay, to update shift hours and to clarify eligibility; and KMC 23.55.030 Qualification Pay, to ensure appropriate compensation and benefits to city employees comparable to other places of public employment which allows the city to recruit and retain qualified employees. This memo is in support of the proposed ordinance amending sections of Kenai Municipal Code Title 23 - Personnel Regulations. This ordinance updates eligible shift start times for employees working non-standard shifts and adjusts certain qualification pay provisions for employees who obtain and maintain specialized certifications that support City operations. As part of compensation review and discussions during the FY27 budget process, these areas were identified for review to maintain the City competitiveness with labor market conditions and to support employee contributions through fair and consistent compensation practices. Section 1. This section amends KMC 23.25.065 to designate shifts as "swing" shift and "graveyard" shift and to revise the start time for the swing shift. Additional language is included to further clarify eligible shifts and the application of shift differential pay. Section 2. This section amends KMC 23.55.030 to update qualification pay provisions, including revising calculation language to reflect the employee's current range and step. The amendments also update paramedic qualification pay to better align with recruitment, retention and operational needs. Thank you for your consideration.