City employees get raises

For the first time in four years, the City of Custer will give its employees a 3 percent Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) raise in 2013.

At its Aug. 20 meeting, the Custer City Council agreed to include the COLA in the 2013 budget, along with a change to the step scale the employees receive raises under. The council moved from a 10-year scale to a 20-year scale, which the city moved away from several years ago.

Under the 10-year scale, employees essentially received a 3 percent raise every year as they climbed a step. Under the 20-year scale, employees will complete a six-month probation period, and then receive a step increase every year after that for the first four years. In years five to seven, a step will be reached every other year, and in years eight through 10 a step will be reached every third year.

Three of the city’s employees were already at the top step and will remain so under the new step program.

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