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Commission approves BambooHR system; commissioners debate full compensation study and pay-equity analysis
Summary
The board voted to purchase BambooHR (monthly service) and discussed but did not approve a full outside compensation study. Staff said the county has $100,000 in contingency budgeted for personnel systems; commissioners asked for more time on wage policy amid rising insurance costs.
County human-resources staff outlined two linked proposals June 24: (1) a countywide human-resources information system (HRIS) to automate onboarding, timekeeping and training; and (2) an outside compensation study and pay-equity analysis.
Laura (human-resources staff) told commissioners the HRIS would reduce manual data entry, provide employee self-service pay stubs and PTO balances, track mandatory trainings and certifications, and could integrate with the county27s payroll/finance software. She recommended BambooHR as the preferred vendor because it offers monthly billing, an implementation pathway and a payroll module that can be phased in.
Commission discussion focused on two financial and timing questions: whether to buy the full HRIS now and, separately, whether to commission an outside compensation study. Laura said she issued a request for proposals and received bids ranging from about $24,930 to more than $100,000; a midrange vendor used by Garfield County quoted $42,500 and the county has $100,000 in contingency budget for personnel-system work.
Commissioners said the county faces near-term budget pressure 26mdash; most notably a roughly 22% insurance increase 26mdash; and they questioned whether a full compensation study should wait until other major technology changes (payroll, accounts-payable) are complete. Several commissioners asked staff to at least commission the statutory pay-equity analysis (a narrower, required review) while they considered the full market study.
Board action: The commissioners voted to approve the purchase and implementation of BambooHR, including the payroll module. The vote was recorded and the motion passed.
Why this matters: HR modernization affects payroll accuracy, auditability, compliance with required trainings and the ability to track certifications and time worked by project. A formal compensation study could change pay ranges and budgeted salary steps; pay-equity analyses are required under Colorado law and carry compliance risk if not conducted.
Next steps: Staff will proceed with implementation of the HRIS and will bring additional cost and timeline details back to the board as the county phases modules (HR first, payroll later if desired). Commissioners asked staff to return with an option to commission only the pay-equity analysis (estimated at about $3,000) if they decide to delay a full outside compensation benchmarking study.
