More than one in 10 people on the City of College Station's payroll have served in the military, and the city says it has kept that share steady for years.
Veterans have averaged about 11 to 12% of the city's employees, human resources manager Marissa Harris said on the city's weekly "What's Up, College Station?" podcast, released Friday ahead of Veterans Day. Harris, who oversees recruiting, training and the rest of what she called the employee life cycle, said the figure has held for her entire time with the city.
Benefits for those who served
Harris pointed to two benefits she said matter most to veterans and to employees still in uniform:
- Retirement credit. Years of military service count toward the city's retirement, which she called "a huge benefit."
- Gap pay. When an employee in the National Guard or reserves is called up and their city pay is higher than their military pay, the city makes up the difference so they do not lose income. The city manager is himself a Navy reservist, Harris said, and supervisors work to support called-up employees and their families. The city also follows the federal USERRA law that protects service members' civilian jobs.
Where veterans land
Many veterans go into public safety, Harris said, while others fill technical jobs such as mechanic work in the fleet department, facilities maintenance and logistics. "Almost any role in the military has an equivalent here," she said.
The city's recruiter works local veteran career fairs, including Red, White and You, and the city writes marketing materials meant to help applicants match military skills to civilian job descriptions.
