PARKERSBURG - City council members, acting in committees, unanimously agreed to suspend the employee longevity pay program for another year.

The committees also agreed to look at across-the-board pay raises for employees and a reclassification of positions that could result in base pay raises greater than the annual longevity raises traditionally doled out.

"We want a system our employees can count on," said personnel committee chairwoman Sharon Lynch. "We want to retain our employees."

"We want to do something better than longevity," Mayor Bob Newell said.

Both the personnel and finance committees met Tuesday and agreed to the continued suspension of longevity pay for city employees. The suspension will not affect the previously approved 20-cent-an-hour pay increase approved by council earlier this year.

Discussion bogged down between the committees with regard to across-the-board pay raises. Members of the personnel committee wanted to see how much money they have to work with for possible base pay raises for employees.

Lynch submitted possibilities that included an increased base rate, plus a 1 percent increase on the base. The committee could reach no consensus to act.

Members of the finance committee voted to postpone discussion on base wages until the personnel committee had a figure.

"How much money do we need?" finance committee chairman Jim Reed asked.

"We are all in agreement that this needs to be done," said finance committee member Nancy Wilcox. "We need to know where the revenue is coming from forever."

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Council committees discuss suspending longevity pay