Denver Charter Changes for the November 2003 Ballot
A recent poll indicates good support for Mayor Hickenlooper's proposal to overhaul the Career Service Authority, according to the Rocky Mountain News [August 13, 2003, "Poll shows support for city worker pay changes"]. From the article, "About two-thirds of those polled support changes to salary and benefit packages for city workers, according to the Denver-based polling firm Ciruli Associates."
Here's a story from the Denver Post [August 13, 2003, "Council tinkering with city pay plan"] about the proposed Charter amendment. From the article, "The basic proposed changes: Eliminate a requirement for annual audits of the survey methods used to set pay levels. Delete references to specific groups that would be protected under equal-employment rules. Create a committee or some other structure to give city workers a voice in the updated pay-setting system." The Post's [August 13, 2003, "Editorial: Denver needs pay flexibility"] editors weigh in on the Charter amendment. From the editorial, "Mayor John Hickenlooper recently agreed to tweak his path-breaking proposal to revamp the way city workers are paid in an effort to appease nervous workers and unions. However, if approved, the change still allows the mayor and City Council flexibility in setting salaries, which is a must. It also moves forward with his ultimate goal of a merit-based pay system. The City Council last week backed away from Hickenlooper's plan to scrap the "prevailing rate" surveys conducted by the Career Service Board for setting pay. In the past, the council has been bound by the survey's recommendations and thus approved fiscally unwise salary hikes. Under a compromise, the words "prevailing rate survey" will stay in the city charter. That means the Career Service Board can still conduct a survey of what workers in comparable non-city jobs are getting paid, if the City Council so chooses. However, the council would have the ability to accept, reject or modify those pay scales."
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