Wildwood will create a new category for unskilled workers as the city strives to compete for a limited pool of prospective employees.

At the bottom of the salary scale, the new category will not require a high school diploma or general education development (GED) certificate. But those will be required to move up to a higher category.

Wildwood commissioners Monday approved revisions to the city’s employee compensation schedule at a special meeting.

Human Resources Director Melissa Tuck said creating the new category will expand the pool of unskilled laborers needed in several city departments. The annual salary range will be $26,000 to $36,400.

“There’s huge competition for the work force,” she said. “We want to make our salaries competitive with other cities.”

Tuck presented a salary survey of 18 other cities and counties including Leesburg, Bushnell, The Villages, Clermont, Orlando and Lakeland as well as Lake, Marion and Sumter counties.

Under a revised salary schedule, the highest paid Wildwood employees would receive annual salaries of $93,000 to $157,000, an increase of 8 percent to 16 percent from the current schedule.

Tuck said 21 of the city’s nearly 150 employees would receive increases under the new schedule.

She said changes for the lowest seven salary levels would go into effect March 1 and a month later for the four highest levels.

“No one’s getting a gigantic increase,” said City Manager Jason McHugh. “There are just subtle adjustments.”

Wildwood adopted a merit pay system two years ago that awards employees for performance. Tuck said employees are graded on a 10-point scale and receive $200 for each point they score. That means employees in higher-pay categories receive the same raises, but lower percentage increases than lesser-paid employees.

Commissioner Joe Elliott questioned whether that system is the best way to reward employees for performance.

“The most important thing in the city of Wildwood is our employees and how we take care of them,” he said.

Employees also are receiving 5.9-percent cost-of-living increases and receive a benefit package that includes fully paid health insurance.