Council approves most wage committee reclassifications, OKs 2% across‑the‑board increase

The county council voted to approve the bulk of the wage committee's recommendations on classification changes, new budgeted positions and a 2% general wage increase for county employees, while tabling a requested pay increase for the elected recorder until a formal wage study is complete.

The wage committee presented classification updates and pay adjustments recommended by outside HR consultants Wagner, Erwin & Shealy (WIS). Council members approved reclassification and pay changes for the sheriff’s financial administrator and four financial deputy positions in the auditor’s office; the sheriff’s action was described in the meeting as moving that position to a higher classification and roughly a $5,000 annual increase. The committee also recommended and the council approved reclassifications of multiple sheriff kitchen/jailer positions per the WIS study and approved pay adjustments for a reports coordinator and other job‑class changes recommended by the consultant.

The council approved a $3,000 increase for the coroner position based on a comparative study of similar counties; that raise would bring the coroner’s salary to “just over $26,000,” according to the presentation. The council also approved a $50 weekend on‑call stipend for deputy coroners to compensate staff required to be available during on‑call weekends; the wage committee described the stipend as intended to recognize that deputy coroners must remain available and cannot make plans while on call. The committee discussed a budget impact figure during the meeting, but meeting remarks were inconsistent on the exact dollar amount; the council voted on the stipend itself rather than on a single consolidated budget line.

Council members approved the hiring of an additional assistant administrative staffer in the highway department to help process a surge in permits (the department reported permitting volumes up from 129 permits last year to roughly 430 to date this year). The council also approved placing a part‑time secretary position in the surveyor’s budget and agreed that the department must return to the council for approval before filling that position.

The elected recorder’s requested $5,000 increase was tabled. Wage‑committee members told the council they do not recommend that increase now and prefer that the pending countywide wage study be completed first; the council voted to table the recorder request until the study returns.

The council approved a change for the surveyor: a $3,351 salary increase effective Jan. 1, 2026, which the wage committee said accounts for the official’s 10‑year service bump and the cost saved by reducing outside licensed surveyor contracts.

The committee recommended — and the council approved — a 2% pay increase for all other county employees paid from County General as a conservative measure while the council monitors effects from recent state actions. The council approved that motion by voice vote.

Separately, the council discussed a sheriff’s pension change: the council approved a 1.5% cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) for future retirees only, and directed staff to develop details for a possible one‑time “thirteenth” payment equal to 3% of a retiree’s annual benefit for current retirees if the pension fund remains at least 88% funded. Council members voted on the 1.5% COLA for future retirees and separately approved pursuing the thirteenth‑check option subject to funding and detailed rules to be returned to the council in a later meeting.

Several items were explicitly described as contingent or procedural: a promotion for Brett Stamper from deputy to detective sergeant was approved by the council conditional on approval by the sheriff’s merit board; the surveyor’s part‑time secretary is only added to the budget and must return to the council for hiring approval; and some department budget lines (for example, a shared mechanic) will be adjusted administratively to reflect cost‑sharing rather than adding county general expense.

Why this matters: the actions affect salary levels, internal classification equity and next year’s budget totals, and a number of approved changes were based on outside HR findings and comparisons to similar counties. Several council members emphasized that some increases will not take effect until 2026 and that the larger elected‑official salary issues should wait for the wage study to preserve pay equity across offices.

Details of the motions and outcomes were recorded on the meeting record; most wage‑committee recommendations were approved by motions made and seconded on the council floor and carried by voice vote. The recorder‑salary request was tabled; the wage study will be returned to the council before any change to elected officials’ pay is implemented.