City employees can expect a little extra cash in their pockets starting this year.
During a Panama City Beach City Council meeting last Thursday, officials voted to increase the salaries of city employees by an average of almost 5%, following a employee classification and pay plan study that found 50% of workers were underpaid.
In total the plan, which went into effect immediately, will cost PCB almost $1.2 million over the next fiscal year. It includes more than $715,000 in raises and another $287,000 for equity adjustments, which allows additional raises based on seniority. O'Rourke added that the jobs affected most by the ordinance are entry level positions for the city's police, fire and utility departments. He specifically referenced the fire department, which will increase it's starting annual salary from $33,000 to $39,000.