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Pine County approves HR regrade, defers county-attorney pay-scale decision
Summary
The Pine County Board approved a regrade and salary scale for an HR manager role and approved the first of two personnel items; the board split separate action on a proposed county-attorney pay scale and deferred further action until the next meeting.
The Pine County Board of Commissioners on a split vote approved an administrative personnel item that regrades the county Human Resources manager position and establishes a starting/cap salary structure for assistant county attorneys, and separately agreed to defer final action on the county-attorney pay-scale proposal until the next meeting.
Board members said the personnel changes aim to clarify pay ranges and to help county management recruit and retain staff. County officials said the HR manager position was reviewed as part of the county’s classification and compensation process and was regraded from grade 14 to grade 15.
The board’s discussion focused on two distinct pieces bundled in a single personnel motion: (1) the administrative action to adopt the HR job description and regrade and (2) creation of a pay scale for county attorneys and assistant county attorneys. Commissioner concerns centered on market pressure—especially recent raises for public defenders—and on protecting existing employees who might be above a newly adopted scale. County staff and commissioners discussed sending the attorney-scale portion back to the Personnel Committee for additional review and possible grandfathering provisions.
Because only three commissioners were present, County staff reminded the board that Minnesota Statute 375.07 requires an affirmative vote of all three commissioners to pass a motion in that circumstance. The board used parliamentary procedure to divide the bundled motion so each part could be voted on separately. The HR-related item was approved; the attorney-scale item was amended to defer further consideration until the next meeting and sent back to the Personnel Committee for review.
Commissioners and staff raised budget concerns tied to the change, noting the county must balance competitive wages against long-term fiscal constraints. Board members asked that personnel-scale changes be revisited in the context of the county’s upcoming budget discussions and requested clearer options for grandfathering current employees if a new scale is adopted.
No final pay numbers were adopted for the county-attorney scale at this meeting; the board’s action was limited to postponing that portion of the personnel package to allow additional review.
The board will take up the deferred item at its next regular meeting, after further work by the Personnel Committee and additional input from commissioners.
