Council debates clerk pay, overtime rules and Maryland paid family leave while reviewing 2027 budget

Glenarden City Council spent much of its work session on budget detail that could affect personnel costs and departmental operations next year, including a dispute over what pay scale to use for a new council clerk position, when employees should receive overtime versus comp time for events, and the local cost of Maryland’s new paid family/medical leave program.

Councilmembers questioned whether to budget the clerk position at a top-of-range step (the 2023 pay scale lists the top of Grade 13 at $75,866) or at the figure shown in last year’s approved budget. Staff told the body the 2023 pay scale is the last formally adopted pay scale and agreed to circulate the pay-scale sheet so councilmembers could reconcile differences in the worksheet. Several members said they preferred to budget conservatively at the higher end of an approved range so a future hire could be offered a competitive starting salary.

A second area of dispute concerned overtime for city events such as Glennarden Day. Councilwoman Jones and others asked whether overtime for non-exempt employees who work events should be charged to their home departments or to the event’s grant/project code; finance staff explained the city uses project codes in Abila to track grant‑funded payroll and recommended clearer timecard notes so overtime can be reallocated when reimbursements arrive. Miss Schultz (HR/legal) clarified employees who are non‑exempt must be paid overtime unless they voluntarily request comp time; a municipality cannot force non‑exempt employees to take comp time in lieu of overtime.

Council also heard from staff about Maryland’s upcoming paid family/medical leave program. "It is 0.9% of our total payroll," Dean said while explaining the state program’s mechanics; staff estimated roughly $15,000 for the remaining six months of the current fiscal year and a higher annual impact next budget cycle. Mayor Curtis and staff said they would present slides and additional options for how the employer/employee share could be handled.

Staff committed to providing the council with a pay‑scale document, a clearer breakdown of overtime by project/event and the mechanics for coding overtime to grant reimbursements, and a full estimate of the PFML fiscal impact and possible employer/employee-share choices for the next budget discussion.