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Douglas County updates civil service compensation plan, approves mandatory HR training including AI course
Summary
The board approved a revised civil service compensation plan — the first update since 1998 — and approved the county's 2025 mandatory HR training program, which includes an AI training module. The compensation plan includes a commitment to review every three years and new market-adjustment provisions.
The Douglas County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved revisions to the Civil Service Commission’s compensation plan and separately approved the county’s 2025 mandatory HR training during its April 1 meeting.
HR Director Karen Butch told the board the compensation plan had not been reviewed since 1998 and was drafted with input from department heads, elected officials and labor unions. The board approved the plan with a friendly amendment from Commissioner Borgeson to require a formal review every three years.
Butch described key provisions in the roughly 12-page plan: it applies to civil service classified employees (including those covered by union contracts unless the contract specifies otherwise), establishes trainee hiring rates when the market requires a lower entry step, clarifies out-of-class and detail assignment pay, and creates a process for select market pay adjustments that can move a classification up to three grades when local market conditions demand higher pay. The plan also codifies bilingual premium pay and clarifies treatment of voluntary and involuntary demotions.
Commissioner Cavanaugh asked for the PowerPoint presented to the board to be shown for the public record; Butch displayed the presentation and noted Nebraska Revised Statute section 23-409 (Civil Service Act) as the statutory authority relevant to the commission’s recommendation.
The board then approved the 2025 mandatory HR training program by voice vote. Butch said federal requirements inform much of the mandatory compliance training; she cited the U.S. Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as sources and said the board’s training list includes discrimination and equal employment opportunity, FMLA, ADA, workplace bullying, and a new AI training module. The AI training will be provided by thetraining.com and delivered on the county’s TalentLMS learning-management system.
Commissioners discussed implementation mechanics for market-based pay adjustments: HR may benchmark local labor market data and, when necessary, adjust a job’s grade; corresponding adjustments would move incumbent employees in that grade to the new grade at the same step. Butch said unions reviewed the draft and provided limited but useful feedback especially on involuntary demotion handling; differences with collective bargaining agreements would be addressed in negotiations.
Both votes passed 7-0. The board also recorded that the compensation plan, if approved, would take effect immediately and that HR will present annual structure reviews in January as part of the plan’s ongoing administration.
