Board directs targeted pay review after countywide compensation survey; adopts temporary department-head benefit alignment

Mariposa County staff on Feb. 4 presented a countywide compensation survey and a set of staffing-related actions. The board gave staff direction to prioritize follow-up work on job classifications that are more than 10% off market medians and approved a short-term benefits alignment for department heads.

Survey findings and method: Christopher Bache in Human Resources said staff compared about 163 benchmark classifications to eight comparator counties (chosen for population, proximity and budget characteristics) and added fringe benefits into a total-compensation calculation. Bache reported that, across the benchmarks, Mariposa County was approximately 2.06% ahead of the market median for base pay and about 7.49% ahead on total compensation when benefits were included, although several specific classifications fell behind comparator medians. He recommended the board direct staff to bring back detailed proposals for positions that are significantly off the market and to work with department heads on classifications that are mission-critical or hard to recruit.

Licensed and hard-to-recruit…