Commissioners discuss comparator group for county salary study as process begins

County staff told the Greene County Board of Commissioners the county has begun a salary study process and requested the board’s input on which jurisdictions should be used for pay comparators.

Becky Beazie (referred to in the transcript as "Miss Beazie, Becky") asked the board to agree on comparators early to avoid repeating the expensive study if the final comparator list proved inappropriate. Commissioners discussed a list that included several nearby counties and larger jurisdictions. One commissioner noted some of the suggested comparators are five times Greene County’s size and rely on a much larger ad valorem tax base to fund salaries. Another commissioner said the county has used a set of seven comparators in past studies and that the board is expected to approve a list before staff completes the study.

Staff framed the study’s purpose as keeping the county competitive on pay to retain key employees and avoid losing staff to higher-paying neighboring governments. Commissioners did not take a formal vote on the comparator list during the meeting; staff said the study will proceed once the board confirms the comparator jurisdictions.