By Tim SchmidtRecord Managing EditorMost city of Warrenton employees are receiving a pay raise this month, a move prompted by a need to boost the starting wage for those in the public works and grounds and maintenance departments.The starting pay for new employees in both departments will be $15 an hour. It previously was $12.The payroll changes also include increases for existing staff to maintain separation created by promotion and merit increases, as well as recognizing the length of employment with the city, officials said. No pay raises were given to department heads and supervisors or permanent part-time staff.The change will impact the budget by $104,690, which includes payroll taxes and retirement benefit expenses, Director of Operations/Finance Officer Terri Thorn said.“We have had for the last few months difficulties getting quality applicants and numbers of applicants to positions for those departments,” Thorn said. “In the times we have been able to get qualified applicants hired, we have seen experienced people moving fairly quickly for jobs that are higher paying in the area. It has become a situation where we have a need to consider making changes to allow us to attract and keep staff for those very vital positions within those two departments.”The new $15 starting wage will go into effect following a 90-day probationary period, according to Thorn. The employee will start at a slightly lower rate depending on their qualifications.Other staff in the public works and grounds and maintenance departments that were making below the newly approved starting wage also had their hourly rate changed to $15.Employees already making more than $15 had their hourly pay bumped by $2.Full-time employees in other departments, such as clerical, animal control and non-commissioned police staff, will have their hourly wage increased by $1 as long as they have been with the city for longer than a year.Aldermen approved the pay rate at their Dec. 1 meeting, following a work session held earlier in the evening to review the proposal. The new pay hike went into effect this month.Warrenton