Farmers Branch recommends pay‑range overhaul and targeted raises to close gaps for skilled labor

Jeffrey Ross, deputy director of human resources, briefed the council on May 21 on a market-based compensation study and a proposed pay strategy designed to improve recruitment and retention across the city’s workforce.

Ross said staff studied 103 positions—well above the 67 positions his team calculated were required for a statistically significant sample—and matched municipal peers and private-sector datasets. “We studied 103,” Ross said, describing a methodology that used a market median for each job midpoint, set a range minimum 20% below midpoint and a maximum 20% above it, and proposed a market target of midpoints within +/-5% of the studied median.

The presentation called special attention to skilled-labor and technical job families, including commercial driver’s-license (CDL) holders, where Ross said public-sector starting pay can lag private-sector equivalents by substantial margins; staff recommended pipelines, partnerships and targeted adjustments for those roles. As a specific public-safety step, Ross recommended a 3% step increase across police and fire pay steps and ranks to maintain recruitment competitiveness.

Ross described internal issues the study aims to correct — pay-range compression (small differences between midpoints), position bloat (excess levels such as specialist 1/2/3), and inconsistent range minimums — and proposed using job families and standardized range guidelines to reduce peer inequities. He also outlined an implementation approach that includes educating hiring managers, a strengthened approval process for pay decisions and annual market monitoring with range adjustments every two to three years as warranted.

Councilmembers asked about data sources and whether Payscale data is employer-reported or employee-reported; Ross said the study used a mix of direct city data from metro partners, Payscale employer and employee data and data-dumps of job descriptions from non-responding peer cities. Councilmembers also discussed merit-based increases versus market-catch‑up strategies; Ross said the priority is aligning to the market first and then introducing a constrained merit program later.

Next steps: staff will continue to refine the compensation strategy as part of the budget process and bring specific implementation and funding recommendations to future council meetings.