Non-Bargaining Compensation Policy
At a glance
Based on auto-generated captions; names and numbers may be misheard.
- What: who sets yearly raises for the roughly 145 non-bargaining city employees (out of about 2,000), under a 2021 ordinance letting the city manager, city attorney and city auditor distribute a salary pool.
- Where it stands: on October 14, 2026 council reached a consensus to keep the current pot-of-money approach.
- Next: none scheduled.
Background
- The budget carried a 7.25% pool; this year council capped the bargaining unit at 4.49% (with a $1,000 limit for those at the top of their range).
- Mayor Mayor Gunter proposed that council approve the yearly non-bargaining raise and any amount above it, so pay is fair and consistent across the board.
- A resident speaking in public comment criticized the 7.25% pool as a double standard.
Positions
- Keep the pool approach: Joe Kilraine (open to a percentage cap), William E. (Bill) Steinke, Dr. Derrick Donnell and Jennifer Nelson-Lastra, citing performance incentives and not micromanaging.
Sources
- Committee of the Whole video, October 14, 2026: https://youtube.com/watch?v=D9oD_avWA40
- City Clerk agendas and videos: https://www.capecoral.gov/departments/city_clerk/agendas_videos.php
Discussion time
About 18 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).
| Meeting | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-14 - Committee of the Whole | 18 |
Log
- 2026-10-14 - Committee of the Whole — Mayor Mayor Gunter proposed council approval of non-bargaining raises; others preferred setting a pool and leaving distribution to management, and the consensus was no change.
- 2026-10-07 - City Council — Council discussed raises for about 145 non-bargaining employees. The agenda request to defer the item failed; later the Mayor's revised motion for no increase until resolved, retroactive to the first full pay period in October, carried 6-2 despite the City Attorney's advice that it conflicted with an ordinance section.