City Officials Examine Employee Pay

Twin Falls city officials have been trying to deal with the recession and a dwindling budget to keep things going.  Now, the Times News reports today that an employee pay survey that was conducted about a year ago found that compensation that Twin Falls city pays its employees is behind other comparable city governments…by nearly 8 percent.  And since some of those city governments have since handed out raises, Twin Falls city employees could be behind by about ten percent now.  City Councilman Lance Clow says what the survey does not reveal is that some of those same city governments also laid off employees which Twin Falls has not done.  Most city officials agree that trying to find more money for pay during these economic times will be difficult if not impossible.   Twin Falls Police Chief Brian Pike says his department’s officers are making, on average, about 18 percent less than other comparable departments.  That’s a concern when trained officers leave to take higher-paying jobs.  There is no immediate solution to the issue as the city is now dealing with a $2.4-million dollar gap between what it can afford and what it needs.