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Decatur County commissioners approve $60,000 salary for new maintenance supervisor
Summary
Commissioners voted to offer a maintenance supervisor position a $60,000 salary, saying the post will shift county buildings from reactive to preventive maintenance; funding for 2025 was described as available and staff flagged PERF shortfalls for future budgets.
Decatur County commissioners voted to offer the county’s new maintenance supervisor a $60,000 annual salary, approving the pay increase in a recorded motion on a voice vote during their meeting.
The position — intended to move the county from reactive repairs to preventive building maintenance and to free up county HR staff — drew discussion about scope, funding and how the county will measure value.
Proponents said the maintenance supervisor will undertake routine plumbing, electrical and painting tasks, oversee scheduling with outside contractors and maintain records on the courthouse and annex. A presenter described current practice as reactive: “We can only do things right now when something breaks,” (Staff member Jeremy). He said the commissioners had previously appropriated $50,000 for the position in the 2025 budget but the selected candidate had requested $60,000; commissioners were told money is available in current salary lines and that FICA and PERF impacts were manageable for this year.
During discussion, commissioners and staff asked whether the hire would perform most small repairs directly or simply manage contractors. Jeremy said the hire “can repair, they can install” but that the county will still call contractors for some specialized tasks. Brian confirmed the selected candidate has electrical and plumbing skills. Commissioners also noted the position will be 35 hours per week and on-call for fire issues; the county plans to assign a county vehicle for job-related travel.
On funding, staff said the county’s FICA account had a balance of $63,397.40 and that the additional FICA cost for the hire would be covered from existing appropriations. They also said the PERF (pension) account is roughly 5% under-appropriated and will require attention in future budgets; staff estimated the county’s PERF contribution related to the hire at about $6,700. Commissioners asked for metrics to evaluate the hire next year (for example, tracking contractor calls and completed jobs) so the county can judge whether the position delivers savings and improved preventive maintenance.
Kenny moved to approve the $60,000 salary; Deanna seconded. After a voice vote the chair announced the motion passed.
Commissioners directed staff to document the maintenance supervisor’s workload and to track contractor usage, department requests and other indicators so the position’s value can be assessed during next year’s budget process.
