Council approves pay increases for Streetsboro employees

A slew of city employees will be seeing bigger paychecks, thanks to two recent actions by Streetsboro City Council.

Council authorized union contracts that include a 3.5% market equity adjustment and 3% pay hikes for the police department’s dispatchers, patrol officers and sergeants, with more 3% cost of living adjustments in 2026 and 2027. This year’s rate hike is effective retroactive to Jan. 1, 2025.

Market equity adjustments are based on the city’s assessment of what similarly situated employees in the area earn, said city HR Manager Shawna Lockhart-Reese. The 3.5% MEA brings Streetsboro employees’ pay to the average of their compatriots.

Police dispatchers with two or more years of experience who made $31.07 an hour will now make $33.12. In 2026 they’ll earn $34.12, and in 2027, they’ll see $35.14. Patrol officers with two or more years of experience were earning $39.39 an hour. They’re now seeing $41.99, will see $43.25 next year and $44.56 in 2027.

Sergeants with two or more years of experience had been earning $44.90 an hour. They’ll see $47.87 for 2025, $49.31 in 2026 and $50.80 in 2027.

Mayor Glenn Broska told The Portager his policy is to give union and nonunion employees the same pay raises. Council agreed, raising the annual pay ceiling for Streetsboro’s police chief from $116,310 to $120,373 and lieutenants from $108,096 to $110,119.

Raising multiple pay ceilings was necessary because the employees have been with the city long enough that they had reached the top level, Broska said.

The mayor’s executive assistant’s annual pay ceiling now stands at $85,900, up from $82,000. The police department’s administrative assistant tops out at $75,947, up from $69,383.

The finance director’s annual pay ceiling shifted from $113,366 to $117,113, while the director’s assistant’s top pay increased from $82,000 to $85,000. Top pay for the director of public service increased from $113,502 to $117,460. Top pay for the DPS’s assistant rose from $87,956 to $90,594.23.

Top pay for Streetboro’s fire chief now stands at $120,373, up from $116,310.

Streetsboro’s construction manager now tops out at $85,900, up from $82,000. The director of economic development will earn $117,400, up from $113,443. Top pay for the city’s planning and zoning director will increase from $97,588 to $100,996.

The city’s human resource director now makes $100,815 a year, up from $96,101. The water department administrator will earn up to $76,061, up from $73,500. Top pay for Streetsboro’s IT network administrator increased from $93,000 to $96,250.

The clerk of council now earns $36.72 an hour, up from $35.51. Top pay for the city’s senior center activities coordinator increased from $23.17 an hour to $23.98.

Pay rates for the finance/payroll administrator remained steady at $24.08 to $34.20 an hour. The fire department’s administrative assistant’s pay also remained unchanged at $49,920 to $69,383 a year.

Additional unchanged pay rates include the:

• Law director, whose annual pay range is $100,000 to $131,969
• City engineer, whose range is $75,000 to $113,435
• Building director/chief building official, whose range is $70,000 to $108,742
• Assistant planner, whose range is $60,000 to $82,000
• Parks and recreation director, whose range is $50,000 to $96,884
• Deputy clerk of council, whose hourly rate is $22 to $33

Those employees haven’t been with the city long enough for their pay ceilings to top out, Broska said.