HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 23-1776 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 23-1776
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council December 5, 2023
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SUBJECT: JUDICIAL PAY RECOMMENDATION FOR FY24
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The purpose of this Informal Report is to provide an overview of a council action scheduled for the
December 12t" Council agenda to approve judicial pay rates for the Municipal Court judges.
Background
Chapter 30 of the Texas Government Code (the Uniform Municipal Courts of Record Act) sets out the
requirements for appointment of judges and the presiding judge for Municipal Courts of Record and
requires the City Council to set the salary for the Municipal Judges.
Judicial pay was last set by Mayor and Council in November 2022 via M&C 22-0883 and provided
increases in the salaries for the Municipal Judges by 8%, Deputy Chief Municipal Judge by 8% and the
Chief Municipal Judge position by 4% in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 effective April 1, 2022, and an increase in
the salaries by an additional 4% in FY2023 effective October 1, 2022.
Currently the Municipal Court is staffed with a chief judge, a deputy chief judge, and eight judicial officers.
Judicial Pay Study
A recent pay study of traditional comparison cities by the Human Resources Department conducted in
November 2023 indicates that City of Fort Worth Municipal Court judicial salaries are currently 11% below
the competitive market rate.
Judicial Pay Recommendation
To ensure the Municipal Court can recruit and retain judges, the Chief Judge is proposing that all full time
Judges, with exclusion of the Chief Judge position, receive an 11% pay adjustment to raise the current
judicial staff to 100% of the competitive market rate with an effective date of November 18, 2023.
Due to the pending retirement of the Chief Judge at the end of December 2023, it is further recommended
that the recent study results be utilized as a guide to measure the salary requests from the candidates to
replace the current Chief Judge.
This matter is the subject of an M&C on the City Council agenda for December 12, 2023.
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 23-1776
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council December 5, 2023
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SUBJECT: JUDICIAL PAY RECOMMENDATION FOR FY24
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FY22 -8% FY23 -4% FY24- Proposed
Judicial Team 11% increase
Carla Kelman n/a 58.28
Melanie Houston 54.42 56.6 62.83
Thaddeus Iwuji 54.42 56.6 62.83
Patricia Summers 61.48 63.94 70.97
Raquel Brown 61.48 63.94 70.97
R. Neel McDonald 64.12 66.68 74.01
Andrew
Bradshaw 64.12 66.68 74.01
Claudia Martinez 64.12 66.68 74.01
Simon Gonzales 66.45 69.11 76.71
For questions regarding this information, please contact Chief Judge Danny Rodgers, at 817.392.6717
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS