HWMA staff updates board on ongoing salary survey; Gallagher Consulting chosen as consultant

HWMA staff told the board they selected Gallagher Consulting to perform an updated compensation study for fiscal year 2025–26 and provided a timeline for the work.

Staff said the authority’s first formal compensation study took place in fiscal year 2019–20 and found nearly 70% of job classifications were below the market median after regional adjustment. That 2020 study led to a reworking of job descriptions and pay scales, which the authority implemented in the FY 2020–21 budget.

For the current study, staff said proposals were solicited in July 2025 and Gallagher Consulting (formerly Kauf & Associates) was selected. Staff began preparing job descriptions and salary schedules for the consultant; survey work began in September with data collection projected to finish by mid-November. Staff anticipates the final report and recommendations will be completed by January 2026 and presented to the board in January or February 2026. Any board direction after presentation would be implemented in the FY 2026–27 budget.

Board members asked questions about comparability over time and about how full-time-equivalent counts changed since 2020. Staff cautioned that a direct one-for-one comparison is not possible because of organizational changes since 2020, including the creation of an environmental health and safety division, consolidation of programs, reductions in some program staff, and elimination of the Eureka recycling center. Several board members discussed the pros and cons of multi-jurisdictional or collaborative surveys; one board member noted competitiveness in certain job categories (for example, law enforcement) can make joint studies more complicated.

There was no public comment on the presentation. Staff said they would report the consultant’s findings to the board and incorporate any board direction into the next budget.