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Valley County approves modest pay-scale increases, new positions and a one-year step pilot for uniformed staff
Summary
County approved a 2.8% general pay range increase, a 2.3% uniform pay-range increase with a one-year pilot step system for law enforcement, a $1/hour raise for lower-paid staff, and creation of several new and converted positions; start dates expected Oct. 1 or later.
Valley County commissioners on Sept. 3 approved changes to employee pay ranges, a recommended countywide pay increase plan, and a package of new and converted positions for fiscal year 2026.
Mike Savoy, the county’s human resources director, proposed a 2.8% increase to the general pay ranges (all non-uniform positions) that would raise the county’s lowest existing wage from $17.50 to $18.00 for current employees and set the entry-level rate for new hires at $18.00. He proposed a separate uniform (law enforcement and dispatch) pay scale increase of 2.3% that moves an entry-level 9-1-1 dispatcher from $21.50 to $22.00 and includes a pilot step system for patrol and detention staff. The step system would be implemented as a one-year pilot, would not obligate pay increases if funds are not available, and requires a satisfactory performance evaluation within 365 days of any step-based pay increase.
For countywide salary increases, Savoy recommended a blended approach: employees earning $33.33 per hour or more would receive a 3% cost-of-living adjustment, while employees earning below $33.33 would receive a $1.00-per-hour increase. Savoy said the combined package equates to approximately a 3.9% overall payroll increase. Commissioners approved the pay-range charts and the salary-increase approach by voice vote.
Commissioners also approved a set of new positions and conversions to be budgeted for FY2026. New positions and conversions discussed and approved include: an Appraiser I in the assessor’s office; a payroll specialist already hired and being trained; a seasonal campground lead for a new campground in the recreation department; a wildfire mitigation coordinator position to be funded by grant dollars (Good Neighbor Authority and existing grant sources were cited); a patrol sergeant and additional communications deputy positions for the sheriff’s office (including a proposed communications lead and a conversion of a detention deputy into a detention corporal); a conversion in facilities to a journeyman HVAC technician to reduce contracted work; and an upgrade for a 4-H coordinator position in the extension office.
Savoy said he will distribute the pay and position information to employees and that job announcements for the new positions would be published imminently; any new hires would have start dates of Oct. 1 or later. Commissioners voted to approve the position list and the pay recommendations.
