Lawrence County salary board approves 3% COLA for nonunion staff, raises department-head base to $65,000 and adopts hiring-rate change for public safety

The Lawrence County Salary Board on Jan. 6 approved a series of resolutions that apply a 3% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for nonunion and management employees across county offices effective Jan. 1, 2025, set a $65,000 base rate for many department-head positions, and approved a change to starting wages for future public-safety hires intended to improve recruitment and retention.

Board action came during the board’s annual meeting, which was livestreamed and recorded. The board voted unanimously on the measures after brief presentations by affected elected officials and department directors.

Why it matters: The 3% COLA affects nonunion and management staff across the county’s elected offices and departments and takes effect Jan. 1, 2025. Separately, setting a uniform $65,000 base for department heads is intended to create consistency in hiring and pay scales across county government. The new public-safety hiring rule is targeted at positions with elevated turnover where Lawrence County competes with neighboring counties for staff.

What the board approved

- Countywide 3% COLA: The board approved a resolution applying a 3% COLA effective Jan. 1, 2025, for full- and part-time nonunion and management employees (and solicitors) in a long list of offices and departments including the courts, adult and juvenile probation, district justice offices, domestic relations, law library, county controller’s office, coroner, district attorney, prothonotary and clerk of courts, register and recorder, sheriff’s office, treasurer, and the set of departments that report to the commissioners. Union employees will continue to be paid under the terms of their collective-bargaining agreements.

- Department-head base rate: The board set the base rate (starting salary) for many department-head positions at $65,000 per year. The resolutions applying that base rate cover the director positions for public safety, tax claim, assessor, information technology, veterans services (with a separate clause discussed below), mental health and developmental services, recycling and solid waste, voter registration/election services, human resources, and planning. The board said most current incumbents already earn at or above $65,000; a few positions will be raised to meet the new base.

- Public-safety starting wages: The board adopted a change affecting starting pay tiers in the public-safety department. Chad Strobel, the county public-safety director, described the proposal and said it would add “half of the annual COLA” to the starting rates for new hires in specified tiers (training, part-time, post-training full-time telecommunicator, post-training supervisor). Strobel and county staff said the change will apply only to new hires after the board’s action; current employees will receive the standard COLA for 2025 (3%). Board members said the change is intended to reduce turnover and make county starting rates more competitive with neighboring counties.

Other details and clarifications

- Elected officials: During a public question, staff explained that elected officials’ adjustments are governed by a county ordinance tying those increases to a regional consumer-price index; the most recent index cited in the meeting produced a 3.5% figure used for elected-official adjustments.

- Union contracts: Repeatedly, presenters and the chair emphasized that employees covered by union contracts are compensated according to the contract language; the board’s 3% action applies to nonunion and management employees and solicitors under the offices named in each resolution.

- Effective dates and implementation: The board clarified that the COLA actions take effect Jan. 1, 2025. For the public-safety starting-wage change, only subsequent hires after the action will receive the adjusted base.

Votes at a glance

The board approved all listed salary-board resolutions by roll-call vote. Summaries below list the resolution number, the office or policy affected, and the board outcome. (Motions and seconders are recorded in the minutes; union-covered employees are noted as governed by existing contracts.)

- Resolution 1 — Courts (courts, adult and juvenile probation, district justices, domestic relations, law library): 3% COLA for nonunion/management and solicitors. Outcome: approved. - Resolution 2 — County Controller’s Office: 3% COLA for nonunion/management and solicitors. Outcome: approved. - Resolution 3 — Coroner (RJ Johnson): 3% COLA for nonunion/management and solicitors. Outcome: approved. - Resolution 4 — District Attorney: 3% COLA for nonunion/management and solicitors. Outcome: approved. - Resolution 5 — Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts (Jody Clay Van Asaldo): 3% COLA for nonunion/management and solicitors. Outcome: approved. - Resolution 6 — Register & Recorder (Tammy Crawford): 3% COLA for nonunion/management and solicitors. Outcome: approved. - Resolution 7 — Sheriff (Harry Cuero): 3% COLA for nonunion/management and solicitors. Outcome: approved. - Resolution 8 — Treasurer (Rich Repone): 3% COLA for nonunion/management and solicitors (clerical typo corrected in meeting from 2.25% to 3%). Outcome: approved. - Resolution 9 — Offices under the commissioners (multiple departments listed): 3% COLA for nonunion/management and solicitors. Outcome: approved. - Resolution 10 — County Jail: 3% COLA for nonunion/management employees; union employees per contract. Outcome: approved. - Resolution 11 — Public Safety: policy to add half of the annual COLA to starting wages for specified public-safety tiers (applies to future hires); current employees receive 2025 COLA. Outcome: approved. - Resolutions 12–21 — Department-head base rates: set base starting rate at $65,000 for the directors of public safety, tax claim, assessor, information technology, veterans services (special clause raising salary to $65,000 if currently below that amount but not including the 2025 COLA), mental-health and developmental services, recycling and solid waste, voter-registration/election services (same raise clause language as veterans and human resources), human resources, and planning. Outcome: all approved.

What board members said (selected, attributed quotes)

- Judge Jay Craig Cox, president judge, when moving the courts’ resolution: “This is just the standard cost of living adjustment.”

- Chad Strobel, public-safety director, describing the hiring-rate change: the resolution would add “half of the annual COLA” to starting wages for new hires to keep entry rates competitive and help reduce turnover.

Meeting context and next steps

Board members said the actions create a consistent compensation framework across county departments and should make hiring and retention more predictable. Several members noted the department-head base-rate action sets a uniform starting point for future hires; staff said most incumbents already earn at or above the new base. The public-safety hiring change was explicitly tied to recruitment pressures in public safety, juvenile services and the county jail, where turnover has been higher than in other county offices.

County staff will implement the 3% COLA and the $65,000 base-rate adjustments and update payroll and personnel records. Union-covered employees will be paid under their contracts and were not changed by these resolutions.

The board received two public questions; staff responded with details about where to find the packet and how elected-official increases are calculated. The meeting adjourned after public comment and formal roll calls on each resolution.