Suwannee County hears consultant recommend new pay grades, bring‑to‑minimum plan to address wage gaps

Rob Williamson, senior consultant at Evergreen, presented results of a classification and compensation study to the Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners during a workshop, saying the county’s published pay ranges are behind the market and recommending a numeric pay‑grade plan, a partially phased implementation and annual evaluations for employees. "You want a fair and competitive pay plan," Williamson said, describing the study’s goal to align Suwannee County with the market average while remaining fiscally responsible.

The study surveyed roughly 230 county positions, Williamson said, with about a 79 percent employee survey completion rate and nearly 90 percent classification participation. Evergreen compared Suwannee County to 13 peer counties (11 of which provided usable data) and produced market averages from those matches; Williamson said the average match count was about seven for each classification.

Williamson recommended a numeric pay grading system (grades 101, 102, 103, etc.) with defined…