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Lincoln County approves cost-of-living increases for four department heads; noxious weeds superintendent receives $3,000 bump
Summary
On Jan. 21 the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners approved cost-of-living adjustments for four department heads, adding a $3,000 increase to the noxious weeds superintendent’s pay. Commissioners debated effective dates and payroll proration before voting to implement the raises immediately with payroll adjustments.
The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 21 approved salary adjustments for four county department heads, adopting 2.5% cost-of-living increases for the highway superintendent, Region 51 emergency management director and veteran service officer and a 2.5% cost-of-living increase plus a $3,000 pay bump for the county’s noxious weeds superintendent.
The personnel committee recommended the increases after meeting with the affected employees earlier in the week, a committee member told the board. The committee said the noxious weeds superintendent’s pay fell below local comparables and recommended the additional $3,000 to remain competitive.
Commissioners discussed the effective date and payroll administration at length. Legal counsel advised that pay increases cannot be applied retroactively to work already performed without additional constitutional considerations, so staff and commissioners agreed the increase would be effective on the current pay period and that payroll would be adjusted and prorated to reflect the change.
Commissioner Woodruff said he would not support less than a 3% increase, referencing a prior elected-officials compensation study that had used a different schedule. Other commissioners said the committee’s recommendation balanced budget constraints with retention needs.
A motion to set the salaries as recommended was made and seconded on the record. During the roll call recorded in the transcript, Hegley voted Aye, Woodruff voted No and Uhler voted Aye. Following the board’s directions, payroll change notices and accounting adjustments will be completed by staff to implement the increases for the affected employees.
The action affects four appointed department heads but did not change the salaries of county elected officials. The board acknowledged additional administrative work for payroll and instructed the auditor and department heads to complete the required paperwork.
Next steps: payroll change notices will be completed and the county auditor and departments will implement proration for the current pay period.
