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Commissioners weigh 4% vs. 5.7% pay-scale shift and clerks' reclassification in FY2026 budget
Summary
Payroll staff presented the cost of a 4% pay-range shift as about $54,384; a wider 5.7% shift was estimated at roughly $133,880. Commissioners debated moving entry-level clerks in the county, district, justice and tax offices to a higher job grade as a targeted correction to out-of-market starting pay.
Commissioners continued a months-long discussion on Sept. 4 about whether to shift the county's pay ranges by 4 percent or 5.7 percent and whether to reclassify entry-level clerks to a higher job grade.
Cammy, the county payroll coordinator, told the court: "The number is 54,384. That is shifting everyone non law enforcement" to the 4 percent scale the court had asked to see. The court was also shown staff calculations that a 5.7 percent shift would carry a larger cost—presented in the meeting as roughly $133,880 when compared to the current draft.
Why it matters: Commissioners said the county's entry-level clerks (county clerk, district clerk, justice-of-the-peace clerks and tax office clerks) lag local market starting pay in the county's compensation studies. County staff cited prior compensation studies (2016 and 2021) showing entry-level minimums for some clerk roles below market midpoints and actual pay in neighboring jurisdictions; commissioners said a targeted reclassification would be a course correction to improve recruitment and retention where turnover has been a problem.
What was debated: Two broad approaches drew support in the meeting:
- A 5.7% across-the-board shift of the pay ranges (larger immediate cost) that would move more employees toward midpoint market levels; or - A 4% shift combined with a targeted reclassification moving entry-level clerks to the proposed job-grade 2 scale (a smaller net cost than the 5.7% option, presented in the staff materials at about $114,582).
District Attorney Kenda Culpepper and the DA's staff raised a procedural concern: legal clerks were placed by prior consultant studies at a different grade because of the duties and risk of those positions, and she asked the court to preserve appropriate differentials and the ability to promote senior clerks within the DA office. Commissioners acknowledged that prior studies had assigned different grades based on job duties and said any reclassification should be guided by job-duty analysis and market data.
Next steps and timing: Several commissioners said they preferred the smaller, phased approach (4% shift plus clerk reclassification) as a way to begin correcting long-standing gaps without removing contingency. Others said the 5.7% shift would do more to address midpoint competitiveness. The court asked payroll and treasurer staff to verify the fully loaded (benefits and retirement) cost differences and to return final figures before the FY2026 adoption vote.
