Mayor Cara Spencer has approved proposed increases to the minimum pay for civil service positions in St. Louis. The adjustments follow a compensation study that found the city’s starting salaries lagged behind comparable positions, particularly at the lower end of the pay scale.
The proposed pay adjustments aim to align city salaries with market standards, potentially affecting roughly 600 non-uniformed civil service employees whose pay trails the market by at least 5%. Additional improvements would update the pay matrix for around 600 uniformed Fire Department members. Updates for Police Department salaries fall under the authority of a governor-appointed board.
“City of St. Louis employees are driven by a desire to help their community, but that doesn’t mean the City shouldn’t pay them a salary that is good and attractive,” Mayor Spencer stated in an official announcement. She emphasized that competitive compensation is important for maintaining service quality and attracting qualified personnel.
Despite the City of St. Louis’ efforts to attract and retain staff, the compensation study highlights several roles requiring pay adjustments to remain competitive. Utility workers face a 42% vacancy rate, tree trimmers 50%, and heavy equipment operators 20%. These positions are critical to maintaining core city services and infrastructure. The Department of Personnel plans to implement new compensation ordinances on February 1, 2026, pending union negotiations and approvals from the Civil Service Commission and the Board of Aldermen.
Mayor Spencer has allocated $10 million annually to support the salary increases recommended by the study. The report also highlighted the city’s strong benefits package, including retirement contributions of 17.15% of employee salaries, which exceed the market average and require no employee contributions.
