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Commissioners consider wage-study implementation; staff estimate about $225,000 annually
Summary
Finance and HR staff said implementing an external wage study and a step-and-grade schedule would cost roughly $225,000 in recurring wages; commissioners asked for department-level detail and implementation options.
County staff presented the results of a wage study and told commissioners that honoring the full set of recommended increases would total about $225,000 in wages. A staff presenter said, "it actually comes up to about $225,000 that people have asked for for increases in wages." The board discussed whether to adopt the outside wage schedule, implement cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), or use a step-and-grade system.
Staff explained the wage-study product would provide a workbook that automatically calculates individual employee progression (promotions, longevity, education) and would simplify annual budgeting if the commission accepts the study's recommendations. One staff member said they were "not a big fan of COLAs or CPI" and favored a standardized step-and-grade schedule tied to skills and tenure.
Why it matters: personnel costs are a large line-item in the county budget; committing to the wage-study recommendations would create a recurring expense that affects the mill-levy requirement and the county's operating-cash objectives.
Commissioner direction: commissioners asked staff to provide more detailed numbers broken down by department and to return with worksheets showing how the recommended changes would affect next year's budget. Staff said the vendor would deliver a workbook that makes projection simple if the commission chooses to adopt the schedule.
No formal vote: the session recorded commissionersinterest in pursuing the wage-study results and asked staff to follow up with department-level detail before final budget decisions.
