Rob Williamson, senior consultant for the county's classification and compensation study, told the Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners during a workshop that the county's published pay ranges are behind peer counties and recommended a numeric pay grade plan and a limited, phased implementation.
Williamson said the study compared Suwannee County to 13 market peers (11 provided usable data), reviewed 110 job classifications and employee surveys, and produced a recommendation to "bring to minimum" employees whose current pay falls below new market-based ranges. "You want a fair and competitive pay plan," Williamson said. "Bring to minimum represents 3 and a half percent of payroll." He added that fully correcting wage compression under a parity option would cost about $1.2 million in base salary adjustments.
Why it matters: Williamson told commissioners that the county risks reduced applicant pools and higher turnover if advertised pay ranges remain below market. He said Suwannee's employee survey participation was higher than typical (about 79% completion) and classification participation was nearly 90%, strengthening the defensibility of the recommendations.
Key findings and recommendations
- Market peers and sample: The study used 13 comparator counties; 11 returned data. Williamson listed Columbia, DeSoto, Gadsden, Hendry, Highlands, Indian River, Jackson, Levy, Okeechobee, Putnam, Sumter and Alachua as included counties. He said pay ranges were adjusted for cost-of-living differences among counties.
- Scope and data: The consultant reported 110 job classifications analyzed and an average of roughly seven market matches per classification. He said the analysis focused on base salary comparisons and used an external equity analysis that included benefits.
- Pay plan design: The proposal creates numeric pay grades (example: 101, 102, 103) with defined minimums, midpoints and maximums and a standard range spread. Williamson recommended a starting hourly minimum of $15 (about $31,200 annually) for entry-level grades.
- Implementation options and cost: Williamson recommended the fiscally conservative "bring to minimum" approach (move employees below a new grade minimum up to that minimum) as the initial step; he estimated that action would equal about 3.5% of payroll. He said fully eliminating compression (a parity option) would cost about $1.2 million in base salaries. He emphasized the base-salary figures exclude employer taxes and benefit costs.
- Benefits and total compensation: Williamson said Suwannee's employer contribution for individual health coverage is in line with peers (individual coverage employer-paid), but family coverage was more employee-borne than the peer average (he described the market average as roughly 70% employer / 30% employee for family coverage, while Suwannee's split was materially less favorable to employees). He noted retirement participation (Florida Retirement System) is in line with market.
Board discussion and next steps
Commissioners and staff pressed for implementation details. Commissioner Mobley asked, "What counties did you compare us to?" and Williamson read the comparator list. Staff clarified that county leaders helped select peers during kickoff meetings and that cost-of-living adjustments were applied to high-cost counties.
Several commissioners raised questions about rewarding individual performance versus tenure, citing the county's current 1% longevity and a flat 50-cent hourly step. Williamson advised using a market-tied cost-of-living adjustment for base increases and reserving longevity or performance pay as separate retention/reward tools; he recommended making longevity contingent on favorable annual performance evaluations if the county wants to preserve it as a retention tool.
The board asked staff to draft an annual employee evaluation process and to return implementation options (including budgetary impact formulas that add taxes/benefits to base-salary figures) for consideration during upcoming budget hearings. Williamson said staff would need to place job titles into the new grades and implement the first-year moves as part of normal budget deliberations; he said the recommended initial step would not require raising taxes and called the plan a fiscally responsible approach to improving competitiveness.
What the board did and did not decide
This workshop produced no formal adoption of the pay plan. Commissioners voted only on adjournment (motion by Commissioner Perkins, second by Commissioner Hale; vote: 5-0). Staff received direction to develop an annual evaluation policy and to include funding/implementation options in the county's budget deliberations; those are next steps, not formal decisions.
Context and background
Williamson said the national compensation environment has eased from a 2022 peak in inflation but remains dynamic; employers must continue adjusting salary ranges to stay competitive. He noted survey results and job-class matches give the county a defensible data basis to adopt a new structure.
Ending
Board members said they valued the data-driven approach and asked staff to return recommended policy language and full budget impact figures before any formal adoption. Williamson offered to provide templates and support during implementation.