Compensation Issues

Initiative #3

FY22-23 PAY STUDY

SAVING LIVES & PROPERTY IN GSO CREATES A LIFETIME OF FINANCIAL PAIN

The Problem

$804,367

Amount that the City of Greensboro will spend on salaries during training to replace the projected 44 individuals it will lose in FY21-22.

Firefighters in the City of Greensboro are the lowest paid among their peers in metro areas of NC. Over the course of their career, firefighters in Greensboro will lose $290k in pay and $193k in retirement vs their peers.

This lack of competitve pay creates a downard spiral of diminshed recruitment and retention that is an inefficient investment of tax dollars, makes our area less competitive for economic development, and will make the citizens of Greensboro less safe on a daily basis.

The Facts

Fire Department resignations are up 130% over their levels in 2018. (GFD statistics)
Fire Department recruitment is down 83% over their levels in 2016. (GFD statistics)
Civilian salaries in the Greensboro area have increased 10.1% since February 2021, 2x the national average. (Triad Business Journal)
The buying power of all employees has been reduced by 8.5% since March 2022 because of inflation. (Bureau of Labor & Statistics)
City of Greensboro will pay $804,367 in the upcoming year to replace and train those lost in FY21-22. (24wks starting salary for 44 staff)
City of Durham plans to raise starting fire and police salaries up to 14.3% in FY22-23 at a cost of $9M per year. (Durham Chronicle)
In FY21-22, GFD lost enough personnel to staff 11 of the 36 trucks that daily protect the City of Greensboro. (GFD statistics & staffing)

SIMPLIFY TO RECRUIT & RETAIN

BY MATCHING THE AVERAGE PAY PLANS OF OTHER SIMILAR SIZED CITIES IN NC

Click Here to see our Earlier Pay Study Document

The Solution

Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Durham, & Winston-Salem are the 5 largest cities in NC. These cities represent our peers in size and services, and our competition for development and talent. Our pay should match an average of the pay in our 4 peer cities, as seen below in the proposed FY22-23 Pay Plan

A Rate Neutral FY22-23 budget would enable the proposed additional 2% investment in compensation to recruit and retain a workforce able to keep the citizens of Greensboro safe. This investment would keep development growing without representing a tax increase as a percent of property value. Each additional year of inaction makes Greensboro less safe and increases the cost of fixing this compensation disparity.

FY22-23 Firefighter Compensation Concerns