SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – This Monday, January 24, city workers will find out if their paycheck is getting any bigger. Springfield city council will vote on pay raises at its next meeting. It would be a four percent pay raise.
Jeff Cumley, the superintendent of the Jordan Valley Park, says no matter what happens with the vote, he’s happy it’s being discussed.
“We want to make sure we pay our staff what they need to be paid,” Cumley said. “With all of the great new employers coming into the Springfield area, they’re paying really well. It’s tough for us to recruit and retain employees. So the four percent increase, while it might sound like a lot it really isn’t. But it sure goes a long way to help recruit, retain and just say ‘thank you’ back to our staff for all their hard work.”
Cumley says it’s a tough situation when his workers see others getting paid more, for doing the same thing with a private business. He says Springfield needs to do a better job at paying workers a competitive wage to keep them around.
Parks are very busy right now because people want to get out and stay healthy while social distancing. Cumley says without his staff, Jordan Valley Park wouldn’t be open.
“In the end I just want to say a big ‘thank you’ to the City Manager and City Council for recognizing the need to pay our staff more,” Cumley said. “Big thank you to them. We couldn’t have done it without their forethought and their appreciation of what our staff does every day.”
OzarksFirst asked Cumley what his plan would be if City Council votes against a pay raise. He says the park would have to work a little harder and hope they don’t lose any workers.