Muskegon County committee approves HealthWest wage-study pay plan

MUSKEGON, Mich. — The Muskegon County Human Services Committee voted Feb. 11 to implement a new HealthWest classification and pay-grade structure aligned with a consultant wage study, with changes effective Jan. 3, 2025.

The committee approved a motion “to implement the Health West classification and pay grades to align with the final wage study compensation recommendations from Amy Sell Talent effective 01/03/2025,” a plan supporters said will place employees on the step associated with their current hourly wage or the next higher step if they fall between steps. The motion was moved by Chair Nash and supported by Commissioner McGuigan; the committee recorded the motion as carried with all members present voting in favor.

The study, summarized to the committee by Rich Francisco, executive director of HealthWest, recommended restructuring pay scales to align with county rate structure and market comparators. Francisco described the study’s goal as “to get a good comparison and a BH study analysis so that we are able to understand and better, take initiative in terms of repayment, recompensating our employees well.” Consultant Amy Sell, who participated remotely, told the committee she was “very pleased to have had the opportunity to work with, such a great organization and county.”

Key elements discussed included expanding the scale to 34 pay grades with up to eight steps per grade and reserving several higher grades for alignment with county structures. The committee discussed specific role placements: grade 34 is listed for medical director, grades in the low 30s for psychiatrists, and grade 18 described as a mid-level medical practitioner (for example, nurse practitioners). Committee members sought clarification about education and credential recommendations in the report — for example, suggested changes that would require an associate degree for some patient financial services or accounting roles. Francisco said the consultant provided those recommendations and that HealthWest staff would review and align titles and requirements where appropriate, noting some titles (for example, “secretary”) had already been consolidated in the agency’s current job inventory.

Committee members noted the budget impact. A committee member said implementing the proposal would raise salary and fringe expenses by about 1.6% of HealthWest’s budget. The study’s salary tables do not include benefits; the committee discussed how total compensation (salary plus benefits) could place some mid-to-high level positions above six figures — for example, a mid-level medical practitioner at the top step including benefits could exceed $250,000, per discussion at the meeting.

The committee did not record any amendments to the motion during the meeting. With the vote recorded as carried, HealthWest staff were expected to begin placement of employees on the new scale per the effective date and to follow up with any position-specific alignment actions identified in the study report.

The committee heard no public opposition during the meeting and moved on to other agenda items after the vote.