County approves promotion and pay step increase after engineer attains professional license

The Muscatine County Board of Supervisors approved a personnel action on June 2 to recognize a county engineering employee’s attainment of professional licensure and to adjust pay accordingly.

The board approved a Grama change request to promote Brian Meinsman following his attainment of a professional engineer (PE) license. County staff explained Meinsman will move from his existing assistant-to-the-county-engineer classification to an assistant engineer classification with a proposed step placement consistent with a prior salary study. The recommended placement was described as the equivalent movement the county would have made under the full salary study and reflects approximately 10 years of engineering experience.

The board discussed budget implications and staff said the increase was budgeted for the current and next fiscal years. The motion to approve the promotion carried by a 4–1 recorded vote; meeting minutes show the motion was approved with one member opposed (the transcript does not specify which member cast the no vote).

County staff noted the change mirrors prior practice used when other county engineers obtained PE licensure and that the department will continue recruiting to fill other vacancies in the engineering office.