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Good Morning,

Right now, City of Knoxville employees are out working hard to bring you the quality services that you count on, like police and fire protection, brush collection, and road maintenance.

I am so proud of the fact that we did not halt City services or furlough workers, as we all grappled with how to handle the pandemic. The City never closed!

But, the truth is with labor shortages, depleted staff numbers, absences from COVID, and inflation costs, some of those critical services that you expect and rely on are in jeopardy.

We are down nearly 150 positions across the City. That’s translating into longer response times and fewer hands to do the critical work of protecting public health and safety.

And, another 110 employees could retire at a moment’s notice this year.

Not only do we risk losing institutional knowledge that you can’t put a price tag on, there is also a real monetary cost to taxpayers every time we have to train someone. We are talking tens of thousands of dollars every time we train a new police officer or firefighter. That is an investment we can’t afford to keep losing.

Earlier this year, the City began a comprehensive Compensation Study to evaluate how our employee pay compared with the local market. Today, preliminary results are in and they do not paint a pretty picture: on the whole, the City is paying employees 10% below market average.

Simply put, this is not acceptable.

It’s demoralizing to our employees, and a weak link in the City’s ability to provide the essential services that residents and businesses expect and deserve.

This morning I am announcing my plan for ensuring that the City has the staff needed to provide you with high-quality, responsive services:
* All City employees will be paid a minimum of $15/hour.
* A 6% across-the-board salary increase for all employees to balance inflation.
* Adjustments to salary ranges across departments to better match market comparisons and to address compression.
* Implementation of a Step Pay Plan for Knoxville Police and Knoxville Fire Departments, allowing uniformed employees to advance each year throughout their careers.
* A one-time “gap” compensation adjustment payment for current employees working through the end of the current fiscal year.

Each aspect of this plan will be included in my proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. If approved by City Council during the budgeting process, these changes would take effect July 1, 2022.

You may have heard me say that the City is a service organization. By investing in our employees and quality workforce, we’re investing in the services that matter most to you.
Again, thank you for all you do to help make this city a great place to call home.
Indya Kincannon, Mayor

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