Compensation

Overland Park is committed to paying fair and competitive compensation based on job responsibilities and accountabilities without regard to race, color, creed, age, sex, national origin or disability.

This includes establishing a salary structure that is based on internal job values and average market rates of pay, and establishing a pay-for-performance system for rewarding employees.

Individual salaries are determined by a performance program designed to be competitive within the job market, equitable across the city and in conformance with the city’s financial position and ability to pay.

Public Safety Compensation

The banding pay structure covers all employees excluding Police Department and Fire Department step employees.

Salary Surveys

The City periodically conducts comparable local, regional and national wage and salary surveys to help determine appropriate and competitive salary levels. Such studies help to ensure the city’s rates of pay compare favorably with rates for work of a similar nature.

Banding

Job banding clusters positions around occupations that are similar in the nature of their work. Each job is assessed to determine specific requirements, expectations, and performance standards.

The placement of a job into the banding structure is based on the type of work and what the position should be doing, rather than what the position could be doing, or what the individual in the job is actually doing.

Overland Park’s job bands include:

  • Management, which includes operational oversight of a work unit or team and managing and supervising work is the focus of the position.
  • Professional, where application of conceptual knowledge in a professional field, and professional judgment is required.
  • Technical, where application of technical, specially-trained skills and technical judgment produce work of greater complexity.
  • Operations, which includes general operations or maintenance skills to produce work within well-defined direction.
  • Administrative, which includes general administrative or office skills to produce work within well-defined direction.

Each of the five bands has a range of levels with required qualifications and specific responsibilities. Bands and levels correlate to market target rates of pay.

Market Target Rates of Pay

Target rates of pay reflect the competitive job market from which the City hires employees. Each band’s annual salary is adjusted according to the specific market analysis.

No formal salary minimum or maximum is listed for any position. The City works within a range above and below each market target rate of pay to establish compensation for any position.

Administrative

Level I – $37,055.07

Level II – $44,877.10

Level III – $51,486.61

Level IV – $58,401.05

Operations

Level I – $40,745.25

Level II – $46,526.48

Level III – $52,049.92

Level IV – $60,916.96

Technical

Level I – $51,530.40

Level II – $58,009.88

Level III – $66,192.50

Level IV – $72,736.56

Professional

Level I – $64,156.56

Level II – $71,609.72

Level III – $87,736.32

Level IV – $95,289.42

Level V – $103,043.87

Level VI – $117,432.00

Management

Level I – $67,448.06

Level II – $79,425.36

Level III – $105,372.09

Level IV – $115,383.69

Level V – $126,384.12

Pay Adjustments

Employees who receive a satisfactory or better performance rating are eligible for ongoing pay adjustments, which consist of market adjustments or performance increases.

Market Adjustments

Market adjustments are based on an employee’s salary and its relationships to the market target rate of pay for the position. The purpose of this adjustment is to ensure the employee is paid a competitive rate of pay. Market adjustments are reviewed annually.

Performance Increases

The city’s pay-for-performance philosophy is designed to award performance increases based on a rating system:

  • Key Contributors consistently perform beyond expectations, demonstrate leadership, and positively impact the organization.
  • Contributors often exceed job expectations and performance criteria; contributes beyond core responsibilities.
  • Performers consistently meet and may occasionally exceed expectations and performance criteria.
  • Underperformers marginally meets job expectations and may periodically fall below them.

Employees who receive “performer” ratings or above, are eligible for performance increases. Performance increase percentages are reviewed annually.

An employee’s salary cannot exceed the market target by more than 20 percent. Employees whose current salary is close to or at 20 percent above their market target rate are eligible for a one-time, lump-sum payment when a department director determines this increase is appropriate.

Public Safety Step Pay Plan

Police officers, firefighters, and some other public safety positions have a separate compensation program, referred to as a step pay plan.

An employee typically will hire in at Step 1. Once an employee reaches the top step, no further step progression increases will be available.

Increases in pay in the step rate plan come from:

  • Step adjustments: An increase in the employee base salary that is associated with an increase in the pay rate established for the assigned step.
  • Step progression increases: Assuming performance is satisfactory or above, an employee will receive an increase in their base salary associated with his or her progression to a higher step. The increase typically occurs at the time of their annual performance review.

Each step plan is reviewed annually to ensure the city’s compensation for these positions remain competitive with the local market.

Fire Department Step Pay Plan

Please visit the Join OPFD section of our website to learn more about step plans for firefighter and paramedic positions in the Fire Department.

Police Department Step Pay Plans

Most police officers hire in at Step 1. There are circumstances where officers are hired in above Step 1 to account for the related experience they bring to the city.

Police officers become eligible to apply for promotion to sergeant after the completion of five consecutive years of service as a police officer. Such a fifth-year promotion would move the officer to the first step of the sergeants step pay plan.

Officers
Step Annual Salary
Step 1 $54,000.03
Step 2 $56,586.90
Step 3 $59,289.62
Step 4 $62,123.43
Step 5 $65,087.84
Step 6 $68,197.60
Step 7 $71,452.72
Step 8 $74,867.70
Step 9 $78,442.55
Step 10 $82,191.77
Step 11 $86,115.38
Step 12 $90,227.87
Step 13 $97,329.03

 

Sergeants
Step Annual Salary
Step 1 $84,724.88
Step 2 $88,961.08
Step 3 $93,409.00
Step 4 $98,079.59
Step 5 $105,115.34
Step 6 $110,139.68