ORANGE : Council OKs Raises for 70 Supervisors

The City Council has approved pay raises for about 70 management employees at a cost of about $111,000 over the next year.

At the same time, the council adopted a new policy allowing top management employees to take a month of unpaid family leave for the birth or adoption of a child.

Most of the city’s management staff, which includes administrative secretaries, analysts and department heads, will receive a 3% pay raise beginning in October and another 2% boost in March. An administrative analyst now earning $3,905 per month will earn $4,105 per month after the two raises.

Employees whose salaries fall below competitive rates will receive an additional raise to bring their earnings up to a competitive level. Community Development Director Jack McGee, one of the few department heads whose salary is lower than market value, will receive 2.5% above the 5% raise awarded other employees, Placial said.

The new paternity leave policy will allow fathers to stay at home before or after the birth of a child and makes that provision also for parents who are adopting, Personnel Director Orv Placial said.

“I think there was interest on the council’s part to be proactive on these sorts of family issues,” Placial said.

The city decided to provide unpaid leave after some employees requested it and the city staff surveyed the compensation and benefits policies of about a dozen cities.

Previously, male employees with new infants would need to accumulate vacation time to stay home after the birth of a child. Female employees who are pregnant may take up to six weeks of paid sick leave and four months of unpaid leave.