CRB executive director reports mayor approved 2% raise; outlines FY26 goals including data dashboard and outreach

Executive Director Edie Fitchard told the Community Review Board Executive Committee that the mayor granted a 2% merit salary increase, rather than the 13% increase the board unanimously recommended, and described plans for fiscal year 2026 focused on compliance, research and community engagement.

Fitchard said the mayor’s office communicated the decision through Kristen Wilson, the mayor’s chief operating officer, and that she expressed disappointment that the board’s recommendation did not carry more weight. "I thank Ms. Wilson for the increase, but I also expressed my deep disappointment," Fitchard said. She told the committee this is the second time a mayoral decision has differed from the board’s recommendation on her merit pay.

Fitchard described concerns about the Mercer pay-study methodology that placed the CRB director position in the lowest director-pay classification (DPO 1) despite new DPO 1–5 categories; she said that placement limits upward mobility in the pay range and affects merit opportunities. The director recounted prior pay outcomes: no merit increase in 2023, a 4% increase after a board-requested 12% recommendation in 2024, and a board-requested 13% increase for the current year that the mayor reduced to 2%.

On policy work and FY26 objectives, Fitchard summarized priorities the mayor requested for departments and the items she has presented to the mayor: a target to reduce average case-review time from 90 to 75 days, creation of a centralized public-facing data dashboard connecting citizen complaints and internal investigations, publication of a fiscal-year annual report, and a 20% increase in community outreach events (town halls, workshops, school and community center appearances). "We wanted to reduce the average time to complete a review of an OPA investigation by 15%...from 90 to 75 days," Fitchard said.

Staff noted internal merit increases were implemented for department employees and that the department funded those adjustments within its budget. A staff speaker described the department’s methodology for awarding internal merits (completion of training/certificates, job performance and salary equity) and said the department implemented merit increases for staff in the recent cycle.

Committee members discussed whether pay-classification differences might track with gender or race and suggested a focused comparison of director positions across Metro departments to identify disparities. Fitchard and board members said they will pursue further analysis to support any systemic equity concerns raised by the Mercer methodology.