SALEM — City council approved an update to the city’s wage ordinance in a brief special meeting Tuesday.

The update, which was unanimously approved, adds a new pay scale entry for a Special Projects employee for the utilities department with a beginning hourly rate of $31.48, increasing to $32.42 after a year of service, $33.39 after two years of service, and $34.39 after three years of service.

Utilities Superintendent Butch Donnalley explained that the new pay scale had to be implemented for a department employee who was moved to a non-union position as they could no longer be paid under the contract rate and there was no existing non-union pay scale to match her position. Donnalley said that the pay scale was based on their current salary so it wouldn’t represent any increase in personnel costs for the department, and that the annual increase was equivalent to the 3% annual rate increase she would have received under the current union contract.

Council also rescheduled its next regular meeting, which would have been held 7 p.m. Nov. 5, as council chambers serves as a polling location and will instead meet next the day prior at 7 p.m. Nov. 4.