Pay scale increased for Altoona fire chief position
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Eric Lindquist | Leader-Telegram
Looking to fill the position, city learns its offer was on the low end
ALTOONA - The city of Altoona hasn't even hired its first full-time fire chief yet, but the position already may be in line for a raise.
Just four days after the top candidate from a previous search elected not to accept the job, the city's Personnel Committee voted unanimously Monday to increase the pay scale offered to the fire chief.
The previous search, which had an application deadline of Dec. 30, attracted just 12 applicants. The city advertised the job as paying between $47,528 and $61,110 annually, depending on qualifications.
Survey information collected by the Wisconsin State Fire Chiefs Association shows that the average chief salary for paid on-call fire departments in state cities with populations of less than 10,000 is $68,392.
"We're quite low," city Administrator Mike Golat told the committee, recommending Altoona offer its new fire chief a pay scale ranging from $59,218 to $76,149.
"I feel like doing this would help us attract more and better candidates," Golat said.
Mayor Brendan Pratt said the point of using comparable city data to set the pay scale for a job is to avoid subjectivity and also noted that it's not uncommon after a failed search for an employer to sweeten the pot and reopen the search.
While no official decision has been made, Police and Fire Commission Chairman Mike Wall said he anticipates the commission will elect to reopen the search.
The Altoona City Council is expected to consider the salary boost during its 6 p.m. Thursday meeting at City Hall.
After the recently completed search, the city's Police and Fire Commission narrowed the field to seven individuals, but four of them withdrew their applications, leaving the commission with only three finalists to interview, only one of whom it recommended for the position.
The commission on Wednesday offered the job to Chad Peterson, chief of safety and training with Township Fire Department in Eau Claire County, but he declined the opportunity the next day, citing family obligations as the primary reason.
The City Council included the new fire chief position in its 2017 budget largely in response to a significant increase in fire and emergency medical calls driven by the city's growth in recent years.
At this point, Jesse James directs Altoona's police, fire and emergency services operations.
Contact: 715-833-9209, eric.lindquist@ecpc.com, @ealscoop on Twitter Read more about this article »
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