5.6 ERMUSR 11-13-2018 - Laserfiche WebLink

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implementation of this policy would have an impact on work load, but likely less impact than a comp time policy. And a purchase vacation time benefit would be an additional new employee recruitment tool. Weighing all of those concerns, the committee feels that a purchased vacation time policy provides company benefit that exceeds the work load concerns. The committee recommends the commission adopt a purchased vacation time policy, compliant with Internal Revenue Service rules, allowing employees to purchase up to 40 hours of additional vacation each year. Attached is the proposed Purchase Vacation Time (PVT) language to be included in the Employee Handbook. Work dU ending at 4:001)m — The committee agreed that this is not a wage or benefit consideration; rather, this is an issues to be explored through management and the commission. 6. More frequent casual days — The committee agreed that this is also not a wage or benefit consideration for this committee; rather, this is a management opportunity. Team building exercises during office meeting when time allows - The committee agreed that this is also not a wage or benefit consideration for this committee; rather, this is a management opportunity. Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) As previously noted, the committee recommends increasing the lineworker pay group to be consistent with the metro average. For the field, office, and management pay groups, the committee recommends a COLA of 3% for 2019. Benchmarking One of the remaining action items from last year's comprehensive benchmarking work was to look more closely at the Water Operator position. The benchmarking done for the field, office, and manager pay groups was conducted using available salary/wage data through Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association (MMUA) for municipals having both water and electric utilities. From that available MMUA data, the comparison pool was set to include the four municipals immediately larger than ERMU and the four that are immediately smaller. That pool includes: Marshall Municipal Utilities, Hutchinson Utilities, The City of Anoka, Willmar Municipal Utilities, Austin Utilities, The City of Chaska, Shakopee Public Utilities, and Moorhead Public Service. The results of the benchmarking conducted for the Water Operator position was the wage is in line with the comparable market, especially when considering the Utilities Performance Metrics Incentive Compensation (UPMIC) potential and the current on -call stipend and on -call frequency for the position. The committee does not recommend any changes to the Water Operator wage. Health and Vision Insurance As previously communicated to the commission, the 2019 renewal for our health insurance policy was 5%. This was the lowest increase possible through our insurance pool. The committee recommends keeping the employer contribution to the employee's health care accounts (HSAs) at the same levels as 2018. These funding levels were $650 for single and $1985 for family. Page 3 of 4 RM