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County staff present compensation study; board told plan could cost about $1 million to implement
Summary
A consultant report and task force recommended new pay ranges and equity adjustments; staff urged the board to make pay and benefits a budget priority to retain employees.
A county staff presentation at the Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors work session outlined a consultant compensation study and recommended changes to job classifications, pay ranges and an equity-adjustment plan the county task force said would reduce pay compression and make county positions more competitive.
The county's Management Advisory Group (consultant) and a county compensation task force reviewed job classifications and market pay data from comparable jurisdictions, then proposed a new pay structure with a 60% pay range spread, 5% steps between grades and proposed equity adjustments tied to length of service. The task force proposed equity adjustments of an additional 5% for employees with 1–5 years of service, 10% for 6–10 years, and 15% for more than 11 years in a position to address internal compression, the presenter said.
The presentation included sample market adjustments for specific jobs: an EMT Basic market average was shown near $45,565; a deputy sheriff minimum market average near $50,235; and a benefits program specialist shown near $41,329. Presenters said those market numbers would raise current pay for many positions in public safety and other departments.
The task force recommended the board approve a new pay plan and implementation schedule as part of the budget process; staff said no vote was required that night but asked the board to prioritize pay and benefits in upcoming budget deliberations. County estimates presented at the meeting put implementation costs in the neighborhood of $1 million, a presenter said.
Board members emphasized urgency. One supervisor told colleagues that delaying further would make recruitment and retention harder; another noted the county is one of the few localities in the region that does not offer the higher 1.85 multiplier under the Virginia Retirement System for law-enforcement employees, and staff said the sheriff had requested consideration of that change as part of benefits review.
The presenter said the task force will bring the recommended pay plan, job classifications and an implementation schedule forward during the budget process and develop a communication plan for employees.
No formal vote was taken at the workshop; the board directed staff to prioritize compensation work in the upcoming budget process.
