City to raise employee wages

City employees will be getting a raise next year if the proposed 2022 budget is approved.

Using a 2021 Association of Washington Cities salary survey for comparison, officials said employees lag behind their peers in similar-sized cities.

To start closing the gap, a 3% cost-of-living adjustment is being budgeted for city staff, with a 4% COLA for the police chief, public works supervisor and clerk-treasurer.

In a Nov. 16 memo, the mayor and City Council’s Finance Committee said the increases are “a step toward bridging the wage gap.”

The planned raise is the third in the last four years.

In 20...