James City County leaders say pay study has improved hiring and cut turnover

County Administrator Stevens told the James City County Board of Supervisors on May 2025 that a multi‑year effort to raise wages has helped the county recruit and retain staff.

Stevens said the county raised entry hourly pay from about $9.64 four years ago to $16.40 today and moved pay ranges near the 60th percentile after a 2024 compensation study, investments intended to make local government pay more competitive with neighboring jurisdictions. He said the county also used most of the recent reassessment revenue to fund school debt service and personnel costs — about $114 million for schools and $82 million for county personnel, which together account for roughly $196 million, or 74 percent, of the county’s $264 million budget.

The county administrator framed the results as encouraging: “The short answer is yes. I believe it is,” Stevens said when asked whether the investment is working, pointing to improved staffing and lower turnover across most departments.

Why it matters: County leaders presented figures and department testimony showing fewer vacancies and stronger applicant pools after the pay changes, a key issue for service continuity in public safety, parks, permitting and other citizen‑facing functions.

Officials and department directors described concrete improvements. Grace Boone, director of General Services, said applicant numbers and turnover shifted markedly in grounds maintenance and other units after pay changes: one spray‑technician posting that had drawn five applicants previously attracted 56 after the study, and a posted facilities technician received 21 applicants in seven days. She said the grounds division’s turnover rate fell from 25.8 percent in fiscal 2024 to 3.2 percent in fiscal 2025.

Orlana Flotenroy, director of Parks and Recreation, said the department now has about 64 full‑time, 86 part‑time and 86 on‑call seasonal staff and is “nearly 100 percent” staffed full time; she cited entry‑level pay changes for frontline recreation staff (from $10.36 to $16.40) and lifeguards (from $10.36 to $18.68) as critical to recruitment and retention.

Paul Holt, director of Community Development, said the building inspections front counter — once turned over more than 14 times over a two‑year period — is now consistently staffed, and planning searches are attracting more tenured candidates. Holt and Boone both said engineering and mid/upper‑level technical positions remain harder to fill.

Board members and staff reviewed turnover statistics Stevens provided: a pre‑pandemic average turnover around 12 percent (2014–2019), a pandemic‑era peak near 20 percent in 2022, then declines to 17 percent in 2023, 14 percent in 2024 and a 12 percent trend so far in fiscal 2025.

The discussion also noted broader retention factors beyond pay, including workplace environment and career advancement. Stevens said department heads reported reduced mandatory overtime in fire operations and improved staffing in police specialty units; General Services reported multiple recent hires in automotive technician and fleet positions important to public safety support.

No formal policy change or new spending decision was taken during the discussion; staff said they will continue tracking outcomes and return with additional data after the county has another year of experience under the adjusted pay ranges.

Ending: Board members thanked department leaders for the update and asked staff to continue reporting recruitment and turnover data to confirm long‑term trends.