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topped -out employees (paid in $500 increments January 2015, April 1, 2015 and July 1, 2015); and (B) For Fiscal Year 2015-16, the same cost -of -living increases, if any, provided to general non -bargaining unit employees under the County Administrator's purview, and a 2.5% step increase under the County's proposed new step plan. County Administrator's Recommendation: The County's wage package is based on internal consistency and affordability. In the former regard, the County's proposal was the same as what was provided to the non-union and Teamsters' bargaining unit employees for Fiscal Year 2013-14 and 2014-15. In the latter regard, the County's wage package of roughly $1 million for Fiscal Year 2013-14 and 2014-15 is as much as the Emergency Services Fund can sustain. The Fund cannot sustain the additional —$520,000 additional cost that would all be borne in the current fiscal year as well as future fiscal years. And, as to retroactivity, the County is not seeking to make any of the overtime cost -savings measures or leave reductions it has proposed retroactive; therefore, the pay increases should not be retroactive. Lastly, the County seeks to convert the existing step plan consisting of nine 5% steps to eighteen 2.5% steps. This will give the County the flexibility to provide a smaller step increase in those years where it cannot afford a 5% increase, and is consistent with what the County has with both the Teamsters and non-union County employees. Local 2201 appears to argue that its extra $520,000 in pay increases is warranted because its bargaining unit employees have not received any type of pay increase since Fiscal Year 2009-10. This argument is of no merit as the rest of the County's employees had not received any type of pay increases since Fiscal Year 2008-09. Thus, Local 2201 bargaining unit employees have had more favorable treatment than the rest of the County employees. This did not only extend to pay. While the Great Recession resulted in the County having to lay off employees and freeze positions, the bargaining unit employees were not subject to any layoffs or position freezes. Local 2201 also appears to argue that its extra —$520,000 in pay increases is warranted because Local 2201 bargaining unit employees are paid less than their counterparts in adjacent and nearby counties. There is no dispute that Martin County, Osceola County, and St. Lucie County, on the whole, have higher pay ranges, and when Kelly Days are considered, schedule their firefighters to work less hours than the County's firefighters. There is also no dispute that the County, on the whole, has higher pay ranges, and when Kelly Days are considered, schedules its firefighters to work less hours than Brevard County's firefighters. Thus, while the County is not the highest, it is certainly not the lowest. Moreover, from an administrative and budgeting standpoint, what employees in surrounding counties are being paid, standing alone, is not relevant. It is only when the disparity results in retention and recruitment issues that it becomes a 22