Cheyenne Council OKs Employee Raises, Reinstates Longevity Pay
City employees are getting pay raises of $1.50 per hour after a vote Tuesday by the Cheyenne City Council.
Treasurer Robin Lockman says the city is about $2.3 million over in its revenues, mainly because of sales tax and building permit revenues.
"Our reserves are much, much higher than they were a year ago," she said. "I think they were I believe about 111 days, 119 days a year ago and now they're 176 days."
"The philosophy that the treasurer and I share is that if we're going to do ongoing expenses they need to come from ongoing revenues, and it is our feeling at this time that ongoing revenues are strong and we believe that this budget year can handle it," said Mayor Patrick Collins.
Collins says while not enough, the raise will help fight inflation and keep the city competitive in the retention and hiring of employees.
"This is really a good step for us with our employees and it certainly shows that we're doing our utmost to provide a salary that is an affordable salary in Cheyenne," said Ward I Councilman Pete Laybourn.
The governing body on Tuesday also approved a resolution reinstating longevity pay for non-uniformed employees, which was cut at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It gives an additional pay for employees that have worked six years or more for the city," said Collins. "It goes up every five years from a start of $60/month to $90/month at the highest level."
"Combined it is a well-deserved recognition of the hard work our employees have done during these unprecedented times," Collins added. "They have shown resilience, resourcefulness, and dedication to our residents, and I love them."