Teton County commissioners, the county manager and department staff used the July 3 special meeting to press for clearer pay equity and a plan to restore performance-based raises. The commissioners said they prefer a combined approach of a small across-the-board COLA plus merit increases tied to documented performance evaluations.

County staff and contracted department heads described obstacles: tight revenue projections, inconsistent application of step increases, and an absence of a current, functional performance-evaluation system. One staff speaker said a prior evaluation system had been “kind of worthless,” and both the county manager and commissioners agreed reinstating a fair, documented process is necessary before awarding differentiated merit increases.

Commissioners raised specific equity concerns inside the prosecutor’s office where paralegals’ pay grades were reportedly lower than similarly situated court staff, creating internal morale problems. Bailey (from the prosecutor’s office) asked whether regrading had been considered; staff said they had reviewed salaries and would continue work to identify mismatches and potential fixes. The county has previously used outside HR consultants to re-evaluate job descriptions and pay grades. One commissioner asked the manager and clerk to review job descriptions and only then bring recommendations that would limit outside consultant costs.

On bonuses and nonrecurring cash, the board discussed whether recovered-case remaining cash could be used for one-time bonuses. Staff confirmed that “remaining cash” could fund one-time payments but cautioned about department-specific constraints and the need to consider fairness and statutory limits on funds. The commissioners discussed using a split approach — part COLA, part performance — and to aim for a process that could be implemented within six months.

(Ending) Staff and the county manager were asked to prepare a list of job descriptions that appear inequitable, explore regrading low-end administrative roles, bring back options for a mixed COLA/merit approach, and estimate the budgetary cost of restoring a formal evaluation program.