The Board of County Commissioners approved a three-year engagement with the Arnold Group to complete a compensation study and develop a compensation blueprint for county jobs. The board also approved an optional job-description review and update not to exceed $8,422.

Philip Hayes of the Arnold Group told commissioners the firm’s approach combines internal job evaluation and external market benchmarking and includes deliverables such as an electronic comp workbook, implementation guidance and recommended policy language. "At the heart of this project, it's more than just retaining your talent, but it's attracting new talent and then getting them on the train that they wanna stay on," Hayes said.

Hayes described the firm’s process: stakeholder meetings (he recommended in-person meetings with department heads), grading positions using a point-factor methodology, identifying benchmark positions and producing a comp book and implementation options. He said typical timelines for the project run about four to six months from authorization, with job-description drafts ready in two to three weeks once the writer has the stakeholder inputs.

The board approved the Arnold Group’s investment option 1 for $51,006.92 over three years and the optional job-description update/creation not to exceed $8,422. Commissioners discussed the value of a three-year engagement to support phased implementation and follow-up work during the county’s transition period.