Cole County hires Condre & Associates for countywide salary study; questionnaires due Oct. 3

The Cole County Commission on Sept. 16 heard Condre & Associates outline a countywide salary study that the commission authorized earlier this year. Consultants said departments should return completed questionnaires by Oct. 3 and that telephone interviews with employees are scheduled for the week of Oct. 20.

The study aims to standardize job descriptions and compare county pay to similar employers, primarily in Missouri, Condre representatives said. The firm will survey roughly 15 organizations and expects to produce market matches for about 40–45 benchmark positions; consultants said the final product will include recommendations on career ladders and how jobs relate to market pay.

Consultant Greg (Condre & Associates) told county staff and elected officials the process will use one questionnaire per position rather than one per incumbent, and that supervisors should not alter employees’ responses on the form. “We’ll survey 15 different organizations, and we’ll coordinate with you as a select firms. And I would say we’d stay probably in Missouri,” Greg said. He and a second consultant, Daniel, said they would interview department heads and supervisors and use the materials submitted by departments to draft standardized job descriptions.

Why it matters: Commissioners and department leaders said they expect the study to give the county a consistent method for setting pay during future budget cycles and to help retain and recruit employees, especially in public-safety and skilled field roles.

Scope and timeline - Questionnaire deadline: consultants and county staff asked departments to return questionnaires (paper or electronic) to Sheila or Jessica in HR by Oct. 3. - Employee interviews: telephone interviews are expected the week of Oct. 20. - Comparables: Condre said it will target about 15 employers and focus primarily on Missouri peers but will consider noncounty employers (including state agencies) where appropriate. - Benchmark positions: consultants estimated they can match about 40–45 local benchmark positions for market comparison rather than producing a one-to-one match for every unique job title.

Process details and data handling Condre representatives described a two-part intake: employees complete a questionnaire about duties and physical demands, then consultants conduct interviews (about 45 minutes to an hour per job with department leaders or experienced incumbents). Supervisors were cautioned not to change employee answers on the portion of the questionnaire intended to represent the employee’s duties. Departments may submit job descriptions and org charts to help consultants standardize formats.

On vacant positions, Debbie (county staff coordinating the study) advised departments to have a director or other knowledgeable person complete the questionnaire so the position is included in the study. The consultants said they will use payroll or hire-date information for context but will not rely solely on county payroll data for analyses.

Benefits, incentives and career ladders Condre said the study will focus on salary-to-salary comparisons and will consider benefits information in assessing total compensation; the firm recommended departments use their benefits broker to provide plan details for comparable employers. The consultants also said their final recommendations would address internal career ladders and progression (for example, entry-level to senior classifications in public works).

Public-safety concerns and supervisor workload Several public-safety leaders raised concerns about job-description changes and the burden of completing questionnaires. Sheriff Wheeler asked who would decide percentage allocations of duties when multiple deputies perform similar tasks, saying, “Is that you? You’re gonna make the determination on what my people do?” An official identifying themself as chief of emergency services objected to outside consultants rewriting job descriptions that were created to meet accrediting bodies’ requirements and stressed those constraints.

Condre and county leaders responded that consultants will not impose duties on departments but will standardize the formatting of job descriptions and rely on submitted materials plus interviews. The firm reiterated two cautions for supervisors: do not alter employee answers on the employee-completed portion, and avoid commenting on the employee’s performance in the job-evaluation section.

Departments also raised practical workload questions. Several department heads said completing a large number of questionnaires by Oct. 3 would be difficult; consultants and county staff encouraged grouping similar incumbents (one front page per incumbent but aggregated back sections for groups) and said group interviews could be arranged. The county will accept paper copies but prefers electronic submission to facilitate data processing.

Inclusion and special cases County staff asked whether employees who are state employees but paid or reimbursed by the county should be included. County staff said those individuals are included in the county employee list and should be part of the study. For vacant positions, departments were told to complete questionnaires using the director or another person familiar with the position.

Next steps County staff will distribute questionnaires and a schedule; departments should return completed materials to HR (Sheila or Jessica) by Oct. 3. Consultants plan to begin interviews the week of Oct. 20 and then produce a market-comparison report with recommended standardized job descriptions and compensation guidance. No formal action or vote on study scope was recorded during the session.

Questions raised during the meeting included the scope of comparables (county vs. state employers), how benefits will be reflected in total compensation, protection of accrediting-specific job-description language for public-safety units, and whether overtime or other costs for completing questionnaires would be covered (the commission did not commit county funds for overtime during the meeting). The county will provide consultants with org charts and any other documentation departments choose to include.