Miami County commissioners review pay plan options, weigh $15 base-rate goal versus phased or flat-dollar raises

Sarah Denny, interim human resources director for Miami County, told the commission the county's current position classification and pay plan (effective Dec. 28, 2024) governs wages for non-elected county employees and that any change to one part of the plan affects the whole pay structure.

Denny said getting Grade 1 to a $15-an-hour base by 2026 would require a 9.3% overall increase (a 7.8% cost-of-living adjustment and 1.5% merit), with a budgetary impact she estimated at about $2.2 million total: roughly $1.6 million in salaries and $600,000 in benefits. She presented turnover and hiring data showing 62 separations in 2021, 79 in 2022, and a 2024 year-end with 72 hires and 56 separations that reduced vacancies from 38 to 15.

Why it matters: county wages and benefits are the largest recurring expense in Miami County's general fund, and commissioners framed pay decisions as the single biggest budget choice they face. Commissioners also noted that pay strategy affects recruitment, retention and internal promotion incentives across public-safety and non-public-safety departments.

Options and trade-offs

Denny offered a phased alternative that would…