City employee pay and public safety are expected to be key points in Columbia city manager De’Carlon Seewood’s state of the city address today. Mr. Seewood will deliver the address at noon at city hall, and the public is invited to attend.
City spokeswoman Sydney Olsen tells 939 the Eagle that employee pay and benefits are Mr. Seewood’s top priority. The city council in September approved Mr. Seewood’s $10-million pay raise plan for the city’s approximately 1,400 employees. That pay raise was six percent above market and also included across-the-board increases of two percent for eligible permanent employees. Mr. Seewood says pay raises are critical to remain competitive and also for staff morale.
The city is the eighth-largest employer in Columbia/Boone County, according to the latest statistics from Columbia Regional Economic Development Incorporated (REDI).
Olsen confirms Mr. Seewood will also address public safety during today’s address. Columbia has seen four homicides in the past few weeks, including a deadly gun battle in the White Castle parking lot on Clark lane and a deadly shooting Sunday night on Rice road. Two women were also shot to death recently and were found in a home’s closet.
Mr. Seewood is also expected to address the issue of homelessness today.
