Pueblo County to test base-monthly pay for sheriff's nonexempt staff to smooth Workday pay variability

Pueblo County Manager Gina Geneseo told commissioners Aug. 12 that county staff are programming a test group to pilot a “base monthly pay” model for nonexempt sheriff’s department personnel to address pay variability introduced by the county’s Workday payroll system.

Why it matters: Several county employees in law enforcement experienced variable pay calculations after the payroll system change. A stable base monthly pay is intended to reduce fluctuations while still paying overtime and other variable codes.

Geneseo said the programming work is focused “for the nonexempt law enforcement personnel only” and that the county will identify a small test group after programming is complete. “Once the programming is completed, the next step will be to meet with the sheriff and have him help identify which, test group, which individuals he would like to test on this new base monthly pay,” Geneseo said.

She explained the concept to commissioners: “What a base monthly would look like is the set amount of hours for that pay for that month,” and noted that training time, overtime and miscellaneous pay codes would still be accounted for separately. Geneseo said the test is being pursued in lieu of returning to biweekly pay cycles: “This will be a test in lieu of biweekly.”

Weekly meetings on the topic are underway, Geneseo said, and county staff expect to run the pilot, evaluate results and make any necessary tweaks before pursuing broader implementation. “I am, committed to making sure that there's a solution before the end of the year,” she told the board.

What’s next: After programming and selection of the pilot group, the county will run tests, evaluate payroll outcomes with the sheriff’s office and create an implementation timeline if the pilot proves successful.