Draper to boost its salaries

Draper city is playing catch-up to boost employee salaries that have lagged for nearly four years.

"We were finding out that we were losing personnel to other communities," said Eric Keck, city manager. "To stop that turnover, we decided to make sure we were paying market rates to our employees."

A study of city government salaries revealed some positions were paid 30 percent less than comparable staffers in nearby cities like Sandy and South Jordan. The disparity was most noticeable, Keck said, in the courts and engineering departments. Wages were also behind for public works employees.

Last year, the city saw an exodus of about five city employees to West Jordan alone who cited pay as their main reason for leaving Draper.

"It will really help with morale. When we do need to recruit additional people, we won't be behind in the marketplace," he said. "We will be able to attract competent people."

A recent budget amendment posted nearly $200,000 toward making up the salary discrepancies. But Keck said not every city employee will be bumped up to market rates in one year. The pay increase will likely come gradually in 10 percent bursts each year, he said.

"Employees are pleased that the city has stepped forward and made a commitment in the human capital here," Keck said. "They had felt like they had been ignored."

Boosting morale and recruiting qualified applications is particularly important, Keck added, with Draper's explosive growth. Higher wages will allow Draper to lure experienced staffers instead of watch them migrate to neighboring towns.

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