Lincoln County ratifies veteran service officer pay change and reclassifies two positions to salary

Lincoln County commissioners on Jan. 27 ratified a retroactive pay change for the county’s veteran service officer and approved reclassifying two county positions from hourly to salaried status.

The board ratified the veteran service officer’s move from a 35-hour to a 40-hour work week and confirmed the associated pay increase for the period discussed in the meeting record. Commissioners described the ratification as a housekeeping action because the payroll change notice took effect during the county’s budget process and the signed paperwork was not completed at that time.

County Attorney Rebecca Harling told the board the decision to return certain deputy and department head positions to salary followed a legal review of federal wage‑and‑hour classifications and the county’s prior practice. She said deputies and several department heads had been moved back to salary previously and the veteran service officer and the lead noxious weed superintendent were the remaining hourly positions under discussion.

Commissioners moved to change the veteran service officer and the noxious weed superintendent to salaried status for consistency across departments. The board approved both measures by roll call.

Commissioners asked staff to complete payroll‑change paperwork and to note an effective date in personnel records. The meeting record indicates the veteran service officer had been receiving the higher pay retroactively; the board directed staff to document the effective date in county records.